9 



302 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1893. 



two coils of a spiral, and the whole pistil resembles in miniature a 

 ramrod when in use cleaning a gun. As soon as the stigma emerges 

 from the closed corolla, the coil straightens out in a very short time. 



The flower seems to have taken a rest at this stage in all its 

 departments. At 9 A. M., the next day, an unopened bud of the 

 same age as the former, had still not ruptured the pollen sacs. It 

 was the same at 10, 11, and again at 12, noon. The unbroken 

 anthers on the short stamens, were double the size of these on the 

 longer stamens, in this respect differing from the observations of 

 Mr. Darwin. At 2 P. M., the anther cells of the lower stamens 

 were polliniferous : up to 6.30 P. M. the upper anther cells were 

 entire. At 8 A. M., of Aug. 1, the upper series of anthers had 

 still closed cells. At 12 noon, of this day, five unexpanded flowers 

 with long exserted styles were examined. In three axes the anthers 

 of the short stamens had shriveled without ejecting pollen — in one, 

 two were pollen-bearing, while four had shriveled — in the remaining 

 one, the whole six were abundantly polliniferous. 



The mass of wild plants is not extensive, but it furnished a good 

 bunch of specimens with long-styled flowers, and another bunch 

 with styles exserted only half the length of the calyx tube. None 

 with the very short styles figured by Mr. Darwin were growing in 

 this mass. It occurred to me to note the relative fertility of the 

 long and medium styled plants. Of the shorter styled, one branch- 

 let had seed vessels from 55 axils, with from 4-6 seed vessels in each 

 axil, and four others, 45, 48, 45 and 66, respectively. Of the 

 longer styled 57, 35, 45 and 44. 



So far as comparative fertility is concerned there is no material 

 difference between the two classes. 



It is clear to my mind that the flowers in these two classes do 

 not furnish each one its own pollen, nor do they receive much aid 

 from diurnal insects. Possibly nocturnal ones may assist, but if so, 

 no moth hair is visible on the stigmas, as there should be. As the 

 styles remain without withering for some days, showing that they 

 have not received pollen, the great probability is that the pollen is 

 in some way scattered from the upper flowers on the stigmas which 

 continue in a vital condition long enough to profit by it. Strong 

 vegetative vigor prevents seeding in the lower parts of the stronger 

 branches, even thougii the flowers were fertilized. 



