R. J. D. GRAHAM 203 



Table I.— (March 24—29, 1914.) Table II.— (August 19—24, 1915.) 



Ball 1 simply mentions that the flowers open in the morning without 

 specifying the hour. The above observations differ from those of Koernicke^ 

 who finds the flowering to be at its height between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., and states 

 further that it may continue throughout the day. It is clear from the tables 

 above that only occasional flowers open during the day. The latest instance 

 of an open flower was 4 p.m. on a rainy day. The inference naturally is that 

 the opening of the flowers is influenced by the moisture conditions of the air. 



As the glumes began to open with the swelling of the lodicules, the stigmas 

 which had been protruding slightly were seen surrounded by the three anthers. 

 Elongation took place gradually, the tip of the stigmas still remaining above 

 the anthers. Finally the rate of elongation of the stamens increased, the lateral 

 stamens usually lengthening first until they surpassed the stigmas. As the 

 pressure between the glumes was relieved by the opening of the glume and the 

 exertion of the anthers, the anthers became more distant from each other and 

 the lower hairs on the stigmas could be seen spreading out. The two lateral 

 stamens finally elongated rapidly and their weight caused them to fall out. 

 With the resulting relief of pressure the stigmas, which, up to the present, had 

 been in the antero-posterior plane, moved into the lateral plane of the flower and 

 rapidly expanded into the space left between the outer glumes. The posterior 

 stamen then fell out. The dehiscence of the anthers took place at various 

 times. Generally the lateral pores were visible just as the glumes opened, but 

 in a considerable number of cases dehiscence took place only after the anthers 



1 BaH, C. R. Am. Br. Mag. 1910. p. 283. 



2 Koemicke, F. Handbuch dea Getreidebaves. 



