147 



NOTES ON THE POLLINATION OF SOME 

 CALIFOKNIAN MOUNTAIN FLOWERS.— 11. 



By Alioe J. Merkitt. 

 Continued from p. 103. 

 Streptanlhns campestris, Wats., grows sparingly about a 

 very moist meadow. Honey is fairly abundant. The four 

 large stamens are slightly exserted. All of the anthers 

 dehisce slowly, beginning at the tip, and recurve so that the 

 pollen-covered surface is upward. On account of this 

 recurving the stigma does not seem likely to be self-pollin- 

 ated, although it is below the exserted anthers. During the 

 few moments I watched the plants I saw the flower visited by 

 Bombus Californicus. 



Thelypodium stenojDeiahim, Wats., is generally common 

 in the San Bernardino Mountains, but was rare in the vicinity 

 of the lake. The greenish yellow flowers are not conspicu- 

 ous, but the clusters are of long duration and the honey is so 

 abundant that in passing the flowers along the stage route 

 one notes that the plants are fairly humming with bees of 

 different sorts. 



Viola chrysantha, Hook,, must have been very abundant 

 earlier in the season, and there was still an occasional flower 

 in July. I was fortunate enough to see a native bee, an 

 Anthophora I think, visit the flowers, behaving precisely as 

 do the hive bees in visiting Viola pedunculata. The bee 

 alights on the lower petal, but seems unable to reach the 

 honey from this position and so shifts rapidly to the upper 

 petal. Indeed the flowers of these two species are very 

 similar in strvicture and color, having the same purple lines 

 as honey guides, and the bees must effect cross-pollination 

 for both species. The mountain species was in abundant 

 fruit. 



Silene Parishii, Wats. This plant grows in many-flowered 

 tufts. The structure of the flower with reference to pollina- 

 tion much resembles that of *S'. laciniata, entrance to nectar 



Ektthea, Vol. IV., No. 10 [1 October, 1896]. 



