762 FERTILISATION OF SOME AUSTRALIAN AND OTHER PLANTS, 



Erytli.rina does not produce good fruit unless the flowers be 



shaken. He also mentions two species which are pollinated by 



humming-birds and one in which the process is performed by 



bees. 



viTiFER.a;. 



YiTis Baudiniana, F.v.M. — The four petals have the margin 

 near the apex folded over to form a little hood. The four stamens 

 are inserted on the base of the petals. The disk has a raised rim, 

 inside of which and opposite to each stamen is secreted a single 

 drop of nectar. The flowers are greenish, and are much frequented 

 by a number of species of Diptera which carry pollen from flower 

 to flower and deposit it on the stigma. 



COMPOSITE. 



Heliohrysum lucidum, Henck — In this plant the flowerets 

 open on the circumference of the flower first, and the opening 

 proceeds towards the centre. The open flowerets form a ridge all 

 round the centre. They are much frequented by native bees in 

 the middle and latter part of the summer. The insects work 

 round the flower with legs straddling the raised rim, dipping 

 their proboscides in each floweret, and stopping where there is 

 nectar for a considerable time. In this way there is no doubt 

 they fertilise the plant. I have also observed one of the blues, 

 Holochila Heathi, Cox, working on the plant in the same way. 



CAMPANULACE^. 



Lobelia dentata, Cav. — -In this plant the flowers are very 

 bright blue, with white guide-lines on the anterior and two lateral 

 petals; but pale pink and pure white colour-varieties are not 

 uncommon. The posterior petals and the laterals have short, 

 thick-headed hairs scattered over their surface (fig. 1). The 

 anthers, as in others of the genus, are tipped with white silvery 

 hairs (fig. 2) and cohere into a tube (fig. 3). In the earlier stages 

 of the flower, the stigma lies at the bottom of the tube, its lobes 

 closer and from the base of the stigma outside springs a row of 

 stiff beaded hairs (fig. 4). When the anthers begin to dehisce. 



