AND CLEISTOGAMY IN ORCHIDS, 391 
and I find that this form is without doubt a cleistogamous or 
self-fertilizing individual.” He further added that he had known 
capsules to be developed on the plant. 
The flowers sent were, as Mr. Burbidge described, scentless 
and closed. The lip, though regular in form and complete, was 
crumpled up and convolute round the column. The column 
itself was in a very remarkable state. The anther was empty 
and lying loose in the deep clinandrium or had fallen among the 
perianth-segments. The pollinia were invisible, and the stelidia 
overlapped each other just as after fertilization, sometimes on 
one side and sometimes on the other, in about equal proportions, 
so that there was only a small round hole to denote the entrance 
to the stigma. Just below the lowest point of contact of the 
stelidia was a viscid mass exuded from the stigma. By making 
a longitudinal section, one could see the pollen-masses, now much 
disorganized, lying in the stigma and emitting many pollen-tubes. 
The examination of younger flowers showed the earlier stages of 
` this phenomenon. In tolerably young buds the anther and 
pollinia were in their normal position on the clinandrium, but as 
the flower advanced the anther-cap fell off and left the pollinia 
exposed. These then curved over the very small tongue-shaped 
rostellum (the stelidia being in their normal position spread wide 
open) until they reached the stigma, when they adhered to it and 
fertilized the flower, while at the same time the stelidia closed 
over the stigma, pressin g the pollinia well into it. This method 
of fertilization is very similar to that of (Eceoclades mentioned 
above, and it is probably the commonest form of self-fertilization 
among the Vandew, for in this group the pollen is too tenacious 
to break up and fall in powder upon the stigma, as it does in 
some Neottiex, and it cannot entirely fall out of the anther-cap, 
half-accidentally as it were, on to the stigma as occurs ın some 
Epidendrez, on account of its being retained in its place by the 
well-developed caudicle and gland. 
In the Trichopilia I cannot doubt but that the form must be 
regarded as a monstrosity rather than as a variety or species. 
In every point but those mentioned it resembles 7. fragrans, 
and the fact that the stelidia overlap each other, now on one 
side, now on the other, would suggest that the modification by 
Which it has become cleistogamous is not a permanent one. It 
ìs, however, an interesting case, as it shows how very simply a 
Plant may become self-fertilized. It is very probable that more 
LINN. JOURN.— BOTANY, VOL. XXIV. 21 
