28 



inevitably touch them and thereby scatter the pollen tetrads, 

 of this we may easily convince ourselves by experiment. 



On examining flowers in the fields 1 have found masses of 

 pollen shed upon anthers, style and stigma. 



The plant is at first protandrous for a short time and then 

 homogamous. Self-pollination may easily take place, and very 

 early, owing to the position of the stigma below the anthers. 

 Even in completely closed flowers the anthers were found open, 

 and the corolla, anthers, style and stigma were covered with 



Fig. 18. Cassiope tetragona. (From West Greenland.) 



A, Open flower. B, Stamen. C, Diagram of a leaf with a flower in its axil, and its four 



bracteoles. D, Even in such a bud the anthers are open and partly filled with air, but 



the pollen is not yet shed. E, Shews the position of the anthers and of the stigma. 



(E. W., 1885.) 



pollen. In Fig. 18 X> the pores are already open and the 

 anthers are dry, but the pollen is not yet shed. 



The stalk of the capsule is erect (Fig. 16 G). Ripe fruit 

 is produced in great quantities in West and East Greenland, 

 Iceland, Spitzbergen, the north of Scandinavia and at St. Law- 

 rence-Bay, but many flowers are also met with which appear 

 to have withered without setting fruit. 



According to EIaglund the fruit doubtless ripens under the 

 snow or during the following spring. The capsule has loculi- 

 cidal dehiscence. 



