The crocus is flowering now and I was exploring the position of the ovary in the crocus flower. This radially symmetrical flower has sepals, not petals. This was what I did to find the ovary. Lift the whole plant out of the ground including the corm. Then gently dissect longitudinally the perianth with the long stalk of flower that goes underground and attached to the corm. You will be surprised to find that the ovary is situated just above the corm. So the crocus has an inferior ovary that is ovary below the petals, sepals and stamens.
You could count the tear-drop shaped ovules. So why not look at the other structures e.g.
- Long sepals and throat of sepals hairy
- Style branched.
- Terminal stigma.
- Yellow colour anther and pollen.
But hurry, the time window is short!
Falgunee.
