THE GERANIUM FAMILY. 



13 



honey-tube at the back. The bee thus gets dusted on 

 the under side and conveys the pollen to another flower. 

 But it will be noticed in the photo (I.), that the style is 

 hclovj the stamens, and ends abruptly. The reason of 

 this is that the anthers in this flower mature heforc the 

 five stigmas are ready to receive the pollen. A flower 



KiG. 42. — Pelargo'nium. I. Vertical section of flower in first, or male stage. II. Style 

 and stigma in second, or female stage. III. Diagram. [See p. 22, ./f.] 



in this condition — and it is the usual one with con- 

 spicuous flowers — is called protandrous, i.e. '' male 

 first." In the second stage of the flower, the filaments 

 with their shrivelled and pollenless anthers, become 

 depressed, to get out of the way, so to say, when the 

 style rises up into their position (II.). The stamens 

 are represented as protandrous in the photo. Then 



I 



