Coro'na

Coro'na, or CROWN, in Botany, an appendage of the corolla in some flowers; sometimes developed as a crown-like circlet within the petals, as in the common white narcissus, or prolonged like an internal united corolla, as in the daffodil. Much discussion has taken place as to its morphological nature, at first as to whether it was to be regarded as composed of modified stamens or supernumerary petals. But in many Caryophyllæ (e.g. Lychnis) each petal is seen to bear a ligule, so called from its resemblance to that of a grass-leaf (see GRASSES). These are regarded as of stipular origin; and in this way we come to look at the corona of a narcissus as composed neither of modified petals nor stamens, but of the united petaline stipules. See STIPULE.