230 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN. 



The flowers need not be described here in greater detail 

 than to state that tiie larger lower anthers are of the same 

 color— violet or red — as the vertical patent corolla, 

 against which the shorter, bright yellow, central stamens 

 form a striking contrast. Muller observed onlv a bhiaII flv 



(Syrphidae) collecting pollen from the yellow anthers 

 and Tricjona rujicrus visiting first the small anthers 

 and then often the larger ones, offering a more Gen- 

 erous pollen store, as well, working on them with their 

 mandibles and often devouring them entirely. Forbes 

 speaks of the pollination of such forms as follows: "I 

 have witnessed in many instances the visitation by various 

 species of large Hymenoptera, such as Xylocopa and 

 Bombus, of species especially of the genus Melast oma , pos- 

 sessing stamens in all points corresponding to that occur- 

 ring in the Heeria described in the letter referred to, and 

 what takes place seems to be as follows. The lar^e bees 

 evidently make for the yellow platform offered by the short 

 stamens, perhaps because they do not perceive the pistil 

 and long stamens owing to their projection against the 

 broad petaled corolla of the same color in the background , 

 and invariably receive the pistil between their legs, their 

 feet settling on the fork of the connective, the instant 

 effect of which is to collect the whole of the lono- stamens 



h 



downwards and 



away from the body of the visiting bee, while the pistil 

 remains in constant contact with its ventral side. At the 

 moment of the bee's demrtnrp t.h« hnnL-Q rm tv>*» k™>„ -p — t- 



rai 



long stamens, so as to bring the tips of the collected bunch 

 into contact with its sides and abdomen. Dr. Miiller's 

 statement <by moving the connective fork of the larger 

 ones ' is somewhat ambiguous ; for it is movement only in 

 one direction that is of avail in raising the anthers of the 

 larger stamens, pressure at the connective hook of course 

 tends to depress the anthers and keep them apart from the 



