176 SOUTH AFRICAN FLOWERING PLANTS, 



many ovules. (7) is a bursting, ripe capsule ; the four 

 valves break away from the central placenta (a). The 

 countless seeds are very small, and often terminated by 

 little crests or wings (8, 9). (9, a) is the embryo buried 

 in endosperm. The two features particularly to be 

 remembered are the hypogynous stamens, and the anthers 

 dehiscing hy pores. The anthers in many Heaths are 

 provided with two little tails, as in Ger'hera (Fig. 67, 

 III.) ; but they are wanting in the species here figured. 

 The use of these appendages is regarded as connected 

 with pollination, for at first the eight anthers are 

 arranged close to the style (3), the pores pressing 

 against it; but when an insect thrusts its proboscis 

 down to the bottom (where the honey-disc or glands 

 form a ring round the base of the ovary), it pushes its 

 way between the " tails," and so dislocates the whole ; 

 the pollen then falls out of the pores upon its head. 

 On entering another flower, the sticky, knob-like stigma 

 strikes the head where the pollen was deposited. There 

 is, however, much variety in the lengths of the filaments 

 and position of anthers among the numerous South 

 African species, since they have become specially 

 adapted to several different species of insects. 



Young botanists should make a point of observing 

 what sort of insects visit flowers, and how they go to 

 work to get the honey ; and then notice how the flower 

 is adapted to receive them. 



