I 



1904] The Fertilization of Calopogon pulchellus. 107 



THE FERTILIZATION OF CALOPOGON PULCHELLUS. 



By A. B. Kligh, Secretary, Wellington Field Naturalists' Club, Guelph. Ont. 



This beautiful orchid is an inhabitant of open bogs, and 

 where it finds a. deep bed of Sphagnum with plenty of water 

 beneath, flourishes in great profusion. The outstanding charac- 

 teristic of this species, which easily distinguishes it from any other 

 of our Orchidaceoe, is the position of the labellum, which, on 

 account of there being no twist in the ovary, is uppermost. This 

 peculiarity is noted by Gray, but in Britton and Brown not only is 

 no reference made to it in the text, but the diagram is incorrect, 

 as it shows the column uppermost. The representation of the 

 labellum, which is given separately, is also erroneous as the tri- 

 angular dilation at the base is omitted, as are also the bracket-like 

 ridges. 



On account of the unique position of the labellum and the 

 very open character of the flower, I thought that the method of 

 fertilization would prove interesting and determined to investigate 

 it. The way in which it is accomplished is as follows : — The bee 

 alights upon the labellum, which bends near the base (the three 

 bracket like ridges prevent it doing so elsewhere) until the back of 

 the bee is in contact with the column. The bee, which is of course 

 up-side-down, sups the nectar secreted by the glands at the base 

 of the column. As it withdraws, its back opens the operculum of 

 the anther, and a pollinium (or several) adhers to its back. On 

 visiting the next flower the pollinium slips past the convex sur- 

 face of the closed operculum, but as the bee withdraws, the 

 pollinium is caught by the slight beak of the stigma and adheres 

 to it, the bee meanwhile receiving another pollinium from the 

 anther of this flower. 



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