101 ^ 



NOTES ON THE POLLINATION OF SOME 

 CALIFOENIAN MOUNTAIN FLOWEKS. 



By Alice J. Merritt. 



These notes were taken during July and August of the 

 past summer in Bear Valley, San Bernardino Co., California. 

 The observations were made mainly in the vicinity of 

 Knight's Hotel near the artificial lake formed by the Bear 

 Valley dam. The altitude is about 6600 feet. Besides the 

 moist lands of the main valley there are tributary ''cienegas " 

 with abundant springs and streams. The flora of these 

 meadow lands and the adjacent pine regions is varied and 

 abundant throughout the summer. Many of the flowers were 

 subject to daily observations, others were noted only in pass- 

 ing, but the notes were always taken on the spot and the bees 

 were with few exceptions captured on the flowers. I am not 

 sufficiently versed in entomology to attempt identification of 

 all of the insect visitors. For the names of the bees I am 

 indebted to Dr. A. Davidson. The flowers whose names I 

 was unable to determine have been referred to Mr, S. B. 

 Parish for identification. 



Eanunculus canus, Benth, is abundant in moist places 

 throughout the summer. The flowers diifer little from those 

 of R. Californiciis except that the scales protecting the nec- 

 tar are longer — so long that the nectar is not visible and 

 therefore does not advertise itself as it does in the other 

 species by glistening in the sunlight. But the flowers' habit 

 of turning to the sun is at least useful in making the polished 

 petals more conspicuous. The flowers open soon after sun- 

 rise, and remain open until about 5 p. m. When the flowers 

 first -^xpand the stigmas are mature and are fully exposed. 

 Flowers kept in water in the house remain in this condition 

 most of the first day, then the inner anthers rise and loosely 

 invest the stigmas, while the outer stamens begin shedding 

 pollen away from the stigmas. The dehiscence proceeds 

 slowly — lasting six days in the house — and the anthers fall 

 Erxthea, Vol. IV., No. 7 [1 July, 1896]. 



