40 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 



both then received identical treatment side by side. One plant of 

 D. macrantha quickly made its appearance, and about three 

 months later (early in August) a solitary D. stricticaulis showed 

 above ground. Unfortunately both these plants died during the 

 year (1908). From a series of seedlings of D. stricticaulis found 

 growing wild, I infer that the plant assumes the adult form in 

 the third or fourth year of its life. The aerial plant is pre- 

 viously a rosette of spathulate leaves : the adult form is assumed 

 abruptly. 



My object in undertaking the work which has supplied material 

 for this paper was chiefly to ascertain whether or not Drosera 

 stricticaulis is entitled to specific rank. I believe I have esta- 

 blished its title, and therefore append a diagnosis; but first I wish 

 to make a few concluding remarks. 



A careful study of the behaviour of the tentacles should yield 

 some interesting results. While I am not satisfied that contact 

 with non-nitrogenous matter causes reflection, I have so far 

 obtained no evidence that it causes inflection ; clean grains of 

 sand, e.g., placed upon the heads of tentacles cause no movement 

 whatever in all the experiments I have yet made. As to the value 

 of colour to the flower, I have a scrap of evidence that it might 

 be possible by a rather neat experiment to colour a D. macrantha 

 flower pink. The basis of my idea is this : in September, 1907, I 

 found a Drosera with pale pink flowers. It seemed to be a hybrid 

 between my subject species ; the plant, which was a climber, was 

 growing where both supposed parents were plentiful. Its stem 

 was stouter than usual in D. macrantha, and more resembled that 

 of D. stricticaulis. The leaves were roughly intermediate between 

 those of the two "parent" species, but beginning from the base 

 of the stem they alternately more resembled first those of 

 D. macrantha, and then those of its ally. The basal scales were 

 much like those of the first species, and the foliage just below the 

 inflorescence closely approached that of the latter. The flower 

 and ovules were intermediate. Though I have kept a sharp look- 

 out I have not yet found another form like the above. My 

 suggestion is that, by crossing, a pink-flowered form resembling 

 and flowering synchronously with D. macrantha might be obtained. 

 If colour and odour are separately inherited it would then be 

 possible to test the relative value of each in attracting insects. I 

 do not know what odour my supposed hybrid had ; indeed, at the 

 time I found it I had not observed that Drosera flowers possess 

 any scent, so faint and elusive is it. 



Drosera stricticaulis, sp. nov. Herba caulescens, caule 

 rigido terete piloso-glanduloso internodiis basi abbreviatis ± 3 cm. 

 longo ; cataphyllis linearibus truncatis piloso-glandulosis ; foliis 

 petiolis filiformibus suberectis ad basin caulis + 4 mm., ad apicem 

 18-25 mm. longis insidentibus concavo-orbicularibus verticalibus 

 ± 5 mm. diametro ; floribus rosaceis ; staminibus erectis ; semini- 

 bus complanatis circularibus vel saltern hippocrepiformibus nigris 

 cum hilis pallidis. — D. macrantha Endl. var. stricticaulis Diels in 

 Engler, Pflanzenreich, Heft 26 (iv. 112), p. 119. 



