24 ll.OWl'.RS ()!• VWV. Ml'.I.nS AM) MlvXHOWS 



RcJ Clover is rarely more llian i ll. lii^li, ami llowers from May 

 to St'ptcinbcr. It is perennial, ami may l)c increased by division. 



TIh- lube is lont;', 9 10 mm., and is nol accessible as a rule to 

 shortdij)ped bees suth as the Honey Jlee, which j^cts its supply of 

 iionev hi>m tlu- W hite CloNcr. The lube is lormed i)y the cohesion 

 of the nine inferior stamens with each other, and with the claws of the 

 l)etals (keel, and base of the uiuL^s and standard or ve.xillum). The 

 hiine\-, which is abumlant, lies al ihe base of the stamens, and is 

 accumulatetl rouml the base (it the o\ar\' in the tube. The Ix-e thrusts 

 its head under the vexillum and inlo the siaminal lube, antl if the 

 superior stamen were united with the oihers to l(irm a tube the in- 

 sect's proboscis would come in coniacl with it; bul onl\ its two ends 

 ai'e in the middle Iin(.\ the rest K in;^ on the side ihron^liout its whole 

 k-nL^th. Al ihe anterior end of the lube lie iIk' bmail base of ihe 

 standard, continuous with the superior and lateral portion of the lube 

 and with the inferior part by an expansion at the base ot the tree limb, 

 and also the base of the carina attached to the inferior part of the tube 

 in the interval left by the standard, which returns at once to its position 

 after it has been depressed. The two alae with flexible claws, with 

 a lamina expanded at the base, cover the to[) of the tube, and keep it 

 and the petals in |)osition. The two ake and the siaminal tube also 

 (like the \exillum ami carina) come oft from the anterior end of the 

 common tube, the tube, as has been seen, being split superiorly to 

 include the free tenth stamen, dividino" into stiff filaments curving 

 upwards, thickeneil at the end. 



The style lies in the centre of the tube, curving- upwards, the stigma 

 exceeding the anthers. The bee clings on to the alse and rests the 

 middle and hind legs lower down, the keel and alie are depressed, 

 and the stigma and anthers touch the bee's head below. Pollen 

 brought from elsewhere is deposited on the stigma by the bee. The 

 bee is then dusted afresh with pollen from the anthers, and cross- 

 pollination follows. As the bee withdraws from the flower it may 

 touch the stigma with some of the pollen just applied, and cause self- 

 pollination. The pod opens at the top. allowing the 1-4 seeds to fall 

 out. 



The visitors are Apida-, l)ij)leni (ISoml.ixliida-, .Syrphida-, Ci>nopid;e), 

 Lepidoptera — Large White {Picris brassiia-). Small White {/\ rapa-). 

 Small Tortoise-shell ( I'aiiessa iiriica-'). Wall Butterfly [Sa/yrus {Par- 

 ai-o-e) vu\o;crra). Meadow Brown (.V. {Epiiiephc/c) Janh'a), Large 

 .Skipper {Aiigiadcs {Hesperia) sylvanus), the Small Skipper {Adopfca 

 (//.) thaumas), Silver Y Moth {Plusia gannmi). 



