Flowers and Their Friends

How flowers and insects came to need each other, explained to children by a teacher who refused to talk down β€” β€œit would be very stupid indeed to try to read a book written in Arabic,” she begins, so look up every word you don't know.

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The Calyx

THE calyx is green.

The calyx is strong.

The calyx protects the ovary.

It has five sepals - five green sepals.

They overlap like the tiles on a roof and thus protect the ovary from rain. They also protect it from insects that otherwise might destroy it.

The calyx covers the base of the corolla and forms a green urn, a little vase, in which to hold it secure from harm.

It is not bright and delicate like the corolla, but what would the flower do without it?

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