The Adaptation o/Albuca to Insect Fertilisation. 365 



On the Adaptation o/xllbuca corymbosa, Baker, and Albuca 

 juncifolia, Baker, to Insect Fertilisation. By John 

 Wilson, University of St Andrews. (Plate XII.) 



(Read 8th July 1886.) 



Last year Mr Alexander Wilson, the writer's brother, 

 brought a number of bulbs of a liliaceous plant from their 

 habitat near Port Elizabeth, Cape Colony, and during the 

 present summer they were flowered under glass at St 

 Andrews. One was sent to 3Ir Baker, Kew, who described 

 it as a new species, under the name of Albuca (Eualbicca) 

 corymbosa.'^ 



It may be w^ell to give here a few statistics of growth 



made by nine plants : — 



Average number of leaves on each bnlb, 8. 



Greatest number of leaves on a single bulb, 14. 



Longest leaf, 21|- inches. 



Breadth of leaf at base, often h an inch. 



Average height of whole inflorescence, 13 inches. 



Greatest height of single inflorescence, 18 inches. 



Average number of flowers in each corymb, 9. 



Greatest number of flowers in one corymb, 12. 



Length of pedicels, i-3 inches. 



Greatest number of flower-stems borne by one bulb, 3. 



Greatest number of flowers borne by one bulb, 10 + 104-4 = 24. 



The ground colour of the flowers is pale yellow, deepen- 

 ing into rich golden yellow at the apices of the perianth 

 segments. On the outer side of each segment there is a 

 broad central band of bright green. On the inner surface 

 there is a similarly situated, but not so well defined band. 

 In the fully opened flower the three outer perianth seg- 

 ments spread widely apart. They are then longer than 

 the inner segments, and enclose them when the flower 

 shuts at night and on dull days. At the apex of each of 

 the outer segments there is a pad of tissue, thickest on the 

 inner face (Plate XII. fig. 2, p.). A small area of the 

 apex is occupied by minute papillae. The inner segments 

 remain erect and conuivent (Plate XII. fig. 2, is.), forming 

 a flask-shaped investment to the essential organs. In some 

 cases, the space between two adjacent segments may be 

 visible throughout their entire length (Plate XII. fig. 2), 

 but, oftener, the margins are so close together that only a 



* Gardeners' Chronicle, toL xxvi. July 1SS6. 

 TRANS. EOT. SOC. VOL. XVI. 2 B 



