322 Transactions. — Botany. 



opens the pollen-sacs dehisce, and the fine pollen-grains, 

 which are very numerous, are freely exposed. At thjs stage 

 in the development of the flower the slender style is hardly 

 half the length of the corolla, and ends in a blunt point. 



In the course of a few days the filaments lose their 

 rigidity and gradually shrivel. As the shrivelling proceeds 

 the anther disc is moved across the centre of the flower, 

 and finally rests against the middle lobe of the lower lip of 

 the corolla. Here it remains, more or less closely appressed 

 to the tube and retaining the spare pollen between the disc 

 and the inner wall of the corolla. While this movement of 

 the anther disc is in progress the style elongates, keeping close 

 to the uppermost part of the corolla-tube. The top then 

 bends sharply towards the axis of the flower, and expands 

 into a rather broad rounded finely papillose stigmatic surface. 

 When ready for pollination the style is as long as the ccrolla- 

 tube, and the stigma stands a little above the centre of the 

 flower. By this time the anther disc is appressed to the lower 

 lip. While these changes are in progress the bottom of the 

 corolla-tube is provided with a store of nectar that is secreted 

 copiously and almost continuously. 



Such being the structure of the flower and the order of 

 development of its various parts, it is evident that under 

 normal conditions it cannot be self-fertilised. The pollen is 

 ripe and exposed long before the stigma begins to form, and 

 the downward movement of the anther disc before the stigma 

 is mature effectually removes the remaining pollen-grains 

 from the neighbourhood of the ripe stigma. The process of 

 pollination thus combines proterandry with an additional safe- 

 guard against self-fertilisation in the form of a movement 

 withdrawing the anther disc from the neighbourhood of the 

 spot which the mature stigma will occupy. I am not ac- 

 quainted with such a combination as this in the pollination of 

 any other native plant. 



The means by which pollination is effected is at present 

 uncertain. Though on two occasions I spent several hours of 

 bright weather in watching for insect visitors to the flowers, 

 I did not see an insect visit a single flower. It may be that 

 they are visited by moths in the dusk and arf thus fertilised, 

 but the absence of scent makes this unlikely. 



The fact that many of the older flowers have their corollas 

 ruptured towards the base of the tube points rather to small 

 birds as the agents in effecting pollination. The corolla, 

 which is as wide as a thimble, would readily admit the beak 

 and part of the head of a small bird. The colouring of the 

 flower, too, is in keeping with this view, for flowers fertilised 

 by birds are said to be usually orange and often striped with 

 red. 



