LINARIA CYMBALARIA. 197 



cymbalaria is exceedingly small as to its floral development, its 

 petals are not highly coloured, its flowers are not fragrant, and 

 although the corolla has certain lines upon it which may be taken 

 as honey-guides, it is questionable if the flower contains any 

 honey ; but on this latter point I cannot speak authoritatively. 

 During the late summer and autumn, I frequently observed its 

 habits and carried home specimens for study ; but while collecting 

 these tiny flowers I have never disturbed any insects engaged upon 

 them. I am pretty well satisfied, from frequent observation, that 

 the blossom of this Linaria is homogamous — a term used to 

 denote those flowers in which anthers and pistil ripen concurrently. 

 I have spent a considerable amount of time in examining the 

 parts of fructification beneath the microscope, and although, from 

 the minute size of the pistil, it is difticult to cut sections of the 

 necessary thinness to observe the growth of the pollen-tubes, I 

 have frequently seen in tlic same flower the ripened pollen-grains 

 adhering to the stigmatic surface of the pistil, and on one occasion 

 I believe that a pollen-tube was detected. Again, when we con- 

 sider the close contiguity of the small corolla lips, and remember 

 how nearly every space within them must be occupied with hairs, 

 pistil, and stamens, it is difficult to suppose that the proboscis of 

 any insect could penetrate through such obstacles to the spur or 

 even to the base of the corolla in search of honey, even if honey 

 were to be found therein. I have also another reason to give 

 against a system of cross-fertilisation. 



There is a variety of Linaria c'ymbala?-ia, with a purely white 

 corolla, which possesses the same kind of throat-hairs. I found it 

 in Bath in only one locality, and only two or three plants on the 

 spot. I took the roots away three years ago, and I have never 

 seen this white variety since, there or elsewhere, although the wall 

 from which I gathered it is festooned with thousands of plants 

 \j\ih purple blossoms. If insects visited these flowers, the pollen 

 would be crossed, and in such case I presume the white variety 

 would have rapidly increased. I may add that, while exhibiting 

 this Linaria at the Bristol soiree, a visitor told me that the white 

 variety was very common in the Bristol neighbourhood. For the 

 reasons above stated,! conclude that Linaria cymbalaria is entirely 

 self-fertilised. 



