15 



ON THE FERTILISATION OF CLERODENDRON 



TOMENTOSUM, R.BR., AND CANDOLLEA 



(STYLIDIU2I) SERRTJLATA, LABILL. 



By Alex. G. Hamilton. 



(Plate n.) 



ClERODENDRON TOMENTOSUM, R.Br. 



(PI. 11. figs. 1-2.) 



My attention was first drawn to the method of fertilisation of 

 this plant by the fact that a cluster of flowers on my table, though 

 always deliciously scented, gave ofi" a much stronger odour in the 

 evening. This led me to think that it was probably fertilised by 

 some night-flying moth. I therefore studied the developmetit 

 and structure of the flowers with a view to discovering if my 

 theory was correct, and with the following results : — 



The flower, as seen in fig. 1, is tubular, the tube about an inch 

 long. The five petals are only slightly irregular, the lower one 

 being sometimes a little larger than the upper. But this is not 

 a constant character. The colour is creamy-white — a common 

 feature of flowers which depend on night-flying insects for fertili- 

 jsation. The stamens are four in number, and much exserted — 

 one inch or more beyond the tube, and the pistil projects to about 

 the same distance. In the bud, stamens and pistil are compactly 

 coiled up, and fill the interior completely. When the flower opens, 

 the stamens gradually uncoil and straighten, and the pistil bends 

 so as to be below them (fig. 1). The anthers do not burst till the 

 pistil has bent, and the latter is still immature, as is shown by the 

 bitid stigma remaining unopened. The flowers are, therefore, 



