MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 



1049 



the beast went out the other side and gave no opportunity, 

 for him that he was fortunate not to be charged before he 

 " basket." 



We may say 

 into his 



got 



Bareilly, 21th August 1919, 



R. W. BURTON, Lt.-Col., 

 Indian Army. 



No. XVllI.— AN ANOMALY IN FLORAL BIOLOGY. 



In Papilionaceous flowers as a rule the standard (or vexillum) which 

 is the largest petal is towards the posterior side and stands upwards, tha 

 two wings (alfe) are laterally situated and the keel petals (carina) which 

 enclose the stamens and the pistil are directed downwards. The wings 

 afford the landing place for the insects which get dusted with pollen on 

 their ventral side or abdomen. In the following cases, however, the 

 flowers become completely reversed so that the standard instead of the 

 wings and the keel is brought down and forms the platform for ths 

 pollinating insect. The wings and keel petals on the other hand are car- 

 ried up along with the enclosed stamens and the pistil, and insects will 

 therefore receive the pollen on their back and not on their abdomen. 



I. Canavcdia nisiformis, DC. 



(The Sword Bean). 



The flowers are confined to the terminal portion of the raceme and by 

 their own weight bring down this portion of the inflorescence which thereby 

 resembles an inverted candelabrum. When the raceme thus hangs down 

 the flowers also are completely inverted and the above mentioned anomaly 

 results. When it does not droop, as it sometimes happens when it is 

 small or few flowered, the inversion is brought about in another way. 



The posterior two-lobed portion of the calyx together with the adjoining 

 standard petal is heavier than the rest of the flower and is consequently 

 pulled down by gravity helped by a slight torsion on the part of the 

 pedicel. The flowers are also negatively gentropic so that those that are 

 placed below when the inflorescence is horizontal are raised up in order 

 to be exposed to light. This is very evident even in the bud stage. 



It IS interesting to note that the corolla changes its colour later in the 

 day from pink to light purple, a signal to keep oft' insects, when no longer 

 required. At the same time the standard approaches the tip of the keel 

 and closes the entrance. Self-pollination is certain as the anthers and 

 stigma mature at the same time, but I have also noticed flowers wherein the 

 stigma projects beyond the level of the anthers. These must necessarily 

 be cross-pollinated. 



Among insect visitors I have observed the Carpenter bee. But the 

 flowers are always infested with the large black ants. 



Clitoria ternatea, L. 



In this casG the inflorescence is axillary and suigle [lowered and the 

 flower leans on its heaviest side borne by the short pliant pedicel. The 

 standard is the largest petal and the wings and keel are much reduced. 



In one flower that I examined the standard weighed, 26S gm. whereas 

 the wings and the keel together with the stamens and the pistil weighed 



