134 



will have bent downward and become closely appressed to the 

 reflexed lobe of the corolla (Figs, i and 4) ; but in case no pollen 

 has reached it, it will have moved little, and the relative position of 

 the parts will be that shown in Fig. 3, where one pair of stamens is 

 mature. In the former case the plant will be functionally staminate ; 

 in the latter, perfect. The species is, therefore, protogynous, as first 

 noted by Sprengel (i, p. 323*), Ricca (1, p. 261) ^iiotices the reflex- 

 ion of the style, supposing it merely a preventive of close-fertilization. 

 Theoretically, there should be five stamens in Scrophularia, but 

 as a general thing only four are found, attached to the corolla near 

 its base, the fifth being represented by a small truncate or notched 

 scale adnate to the corolla just below the point of union of the lobes 

 of the upper lip. That this body represents the missing stamens is 

 shown by its position and occasional development into a polinifer- 

 ous organ (Miiller, i, pp. 281-2). A natural question as to the 

 reason for the common abortion of this stamen finds a ready answer 

 in the mode of pollination. The stigma, and the anthers of the 

 developed stamens lie at the bottom of the opening into the corolla, 



just where they are most effi- 

 cient when the flower is visited 

 for nectar by an insect; forthe 

 latter, occupying the same rel- 

 ative position on all flowers 

 visited, brings the same part 

 of its body into contact with the 



organ, be it stigma or 

 anther. Were the fifth stamen 

 developed, it could be of no 

 use while occupying its nor- 

 mal position, since its pollen 

 would always be received by 

 that part of the insect which 

 never touches the stigma (Ogle 

 ^» P- S^)- The only alterna- 



J«fi. J9. 



JFifif- ^' 



mature 



Tig. 3. 



Fig. 4 



tives are its suppression and 

 its growth so as to lie with the others, at the lower side of the 

 flower. 



it to a certain extent, 

 closely applied to the side, is 



has 



The latter bringing the filament obliquely across the 

 cavity of the flower, and obstructing 

 even though the filament were 



less practicable than the former, which, accordingly, Nature 

 adopted- Were it entirely useless we should expect it to be removed 

 in toto ; but the fact that a remnant constantly occurs, though differ- 

 ing greatly in size in the different species of the genus, leads us to 

 look for some useful purpose that it serves. Sprengel (/. c. p. 322) 

 saw in it a means of arresting any stray rain drops that might have 

 crept under the rim of the bonnef, for he saw clearly that, for some 

 reason, there is almost always a provision in nectariferous flowers for 



* Where references are made as here, the first numeral 

 article similarly numbered under the author's name, in the 

 article. 



indicates the book or 

 list at the end of this 



