206 FERTILISATION OF THE GOODENIACE.E, 



2. SCiEVOLA HISPIDA, Cav. 



The flower spreads out rather flatly, the lateral petals being 

 twisted so as to form guides to the tube of the flower, and there 

 are guiding lines of yellowish-green on the petals, which latter are 

 bright purple. The centre petals vary as to smoothness, being 

 sometimes glabrous, sometimes with lines of soft hairs, or again 

 having raised thin jagged ridges, passing into forked hairs in the 

 throat of the flower (Fig. 11). The indusium when young and 

 open is 4-angled at the mouth (Fig. 12), and has the fringe of stifl" 

 hairs which aid in brushing the pollen out of the dehiscing anthers. 

 The method of packing the pollen into the indusium is as in the 

 preceding species. The pollen is packed before the flower opens, 

 and is driven out before the up-growing stigma. The style arches 

 over so as to bring" the mouth of the cup down upon the centre 

 petals (Fig. 13). Insects visiting the flower and inserting their 

 probosces into the tube are therefore 'dusted with pollen. Con- 

 trary to what occurs in <S'. suaveolens, the flower does not wither 

 before the out growth of the stigma. This last grows out in a 

 cre.scent shape so as to leave a passage between for insects (Fig. 

 13), and at the same time the horns can take up pollen adhering 

 to an insect after a previous visit to a pollen-shedding flower. 

 And the ridges and hairs of the petals, while not so effective as 

 those of S. suaveolens, are yet capable of holding pollen received 

 from the ventral side of an insect, which the stigma would then 

 take up. The plant has the power of self-fertilisation as in the 

 preceding species, as its own pollen lies in quantities on the hairs 

 of the petals, and if not removed by insects, comes in contact with 

 the stigma when that organ protrudes. In fact, it is certain that^ 

 some of the plant's own pollen must reach the stigma. There is 

 no scent, and I failed to detect nectar in the tube, but there is 

 some attraction for insects, as they frequently visit the flowers. 



3. SC.EVOLA HOOKERI, F.V.M. 



This species differs from the preceding two in having no hairs 

 on the margin of the indusium, but the pollen is collected as in 



