248 A NATURALIST'S WANDERINOS 



family {Curcuma zeritmlef) abounded; but in gathering it, I 

 observed that it was provided with one of the many contrivances 

 for securing cross-fertilisation which are so interesting to the 

 botanist, and give such intense pleasure to his contemplation 

 of even the commonest flowers. The flower-stem terminates 

 in a head of rich pink leaf-like organs called spathes, which 

 supply a brilliant alluring mass of colour to the rather incon- 

 spicuous, odourless, though largish white flowers ; the pistil, or 

 organ for receiving the fructifying pollen from the stamens, 

 passes through a hole in the conjoint anther, and its head 

 is protected by a hood in the perianth from all insects and 

 intruders which are not large enough to convey its pollen to 

 another flower. When, however, there enters a bee or other 

 insect large enough to fill the mouth of the flower, it comes in 

 contact with the processes a, projecting from the lower margin 

 of the compound anther, which act precisely as a lever, for 

 when these are pushed backward by the bee pressing in, in 

 quest of the nectar at the bottom of the flower, the anther is 

 rotated,, carrying with it the stigma or top of the pistil on to the 

 back of the insect in the most beautiful manner. A bee that 

 presses the long appendages of the anther, may rotate down 

 the anther so as to carry awai" pollen on its back, but it will 

 not fertilise the flower unless it is large enough to rotate the 

 composite anther sufficiently far to bring the little tubercles, h^ 

 also on to its back, the pressure of which alone rotates the 

 pistil tip on to the bee's back. It is evident that the pistil 

 can never come into contact with the pollen of its own floret, 

 nor can any floret be fertilised unless the insect has entered 

 fully into a former flower, and smeared its back with a patch of 

 pollen of some length, as long at least as the interval between 

 the anther appendages and the pistil. 



As the fertilising: insect even begins to back out the lever 

 apparatus is instantly released, and the summit of the pistil 

 completely returns into the security of its hood. 



AVhen once fertilised the stamens thicken in their central 

 ■part and, contracting in a corkscrew fashion, draw the perianth 



-vith the stamens and pistil to the bottom of the spathe out of 

 harm's way and to make room for the next floret, Mr. Darwm 

 has drawn attention to the likeness of the Scitamine^ in the 

 relation of their essential orirans to those of the Orchidacese^ and 



