428 



or they have a small tripartite laminae and then doubtless 

 contain chlorophyll. 



The flower has 5 — 7 lanceolate, stellate, expanded, white 

 perigone-leaves and a varying, but smaller, number of spoon- 

 like orange-coloured nectaries often thickened at the apices and 

 sides; transitional forms between the short, spoon-like and the 

 ordinary leaf- form are often met with (Fig. 57). The anthers are 

 numerous with thin filaments; the carpels are 6 — 10 in number, 

 are long-stalked at maturation, and the style is hooked, at any 

 rate in the half-ripe fruit. The spoon-like nectaries according 

 to Warming (notebook) drip with honey. The diameter of the 



flower is from 0'6 to I cm. 

 The flowers investigated 

 were rather markedly pro- 

 togynous. [n the scarce- 

 ly-expanded tlower the 

 filaments are short and 

 erect and the anthers are 

 still closed, while the 

 papillae upon the tall 

 carpels begin to develop 

 in basipetal succession; 

 gradually the filaments elongate and bend outwards, then the 

 laterally-turned anthers open, but even the elongated stamens 

 can scarcely reach the stigmas. Lastly, a homogamous stage 

 occurs. This description is based upon the spirit material 

 exclusively. 



The flower begins to develop in May; the fruit ripens 

 probably in August. In South Greenland Coptis trifolia sets 

 ripe fruit (Warming), and Rosenvinge (II 1. с.) records it with 

 flowers and with fruit of the previous year, at the end of July, 

 from N. Strømfjord, which is its northern limit in Greenland 

 (67° 32' N. lat.). The seed is probably dispersed by the agency 

 of the wind, or perhaps it is also epizoic. 



Fig. 57. Coptis trifolia. 



A, Flower from Nuluk in Greenland, drawn at the 

 end of the Q stage (about ^li). B, C, Two common 

 forms of nectary-leaves. D, Nectary-leaf with more 

 common leaf-form. B- С and D from Sukkertoppen 

 in Greenland (^"/1). 



