Some Notes concerning the Vegetation of Germania Land 411 



has reached its full height do the anthers leave their hold of it and 

 Avithdraw, doing so gradually as the corolla opens. And not until 

 the latter is fully open (Fig. 18 D) are the anthers found reclining 

 against its inner side. Now all the pollen is freely exposed and 

 may be carried away by insect-visitors. Once only, on Kløftfjeldet, 

 did I have abundant material of the plant in different stages of 

 development, and there appeared to be only one means of polli- 

 nation, viz. by the agency of insects; but I saw no such visitors. 

 (Regarding the biology of the flowers see also Warming, 1886, in 

 K. Danske Vidensk. Selsk. Oversigt, p. 152, fig. 13). 



In November 1906 I planted three crocus-bulbs in a box in soil 

 in which cress had been sown the autumn before; the cress, however, 

 had withered when daylight disappeared and I had not paid proper 

 attention to the plants. The soil had been obtained by crumbling 

 various lumps of sod of presumably the best quality, judging from 

 the plant-growth which had previously found nourishment in it. 



When two of these bulbs began to shoot in the beginning of 

 December it interested me to observe the development and growth 

 of the plant as it necessarily was obliged to assume its form in a 

 room without daylight, and with lamp-light for about 18 hours out 

 of the 24. 



On December 9 I had made a small mark with ink upon the 

 scales of the bulbs just at the surface of the soil, and above this 

 the two plants measured 39 and 28 mm. respectively. The third 

 bulb had also germinated, but had not yet grown above the surface 

 of the soil. 



On December 11, at 10.20 p.m. the plants were measured again; 

 their length had then reached 45 and 33 mm. respectively, the in- 

 crease during 48 hours being 6 and 5 mm. respectively. In the 

 course of 4—5 days the green leaves grew up outside the scales or 

 basal leaves which were pale and membranous, but they were consi- 

 derably elongated in length, as if etiolated. The plants were copiously 

 watered w ith lukewarm water (22°). The respective heights were : — 



On the 13th, in the morning 49—35 mm. 



— — —, at 10.20 p. m. 51—37.5 — 



— — 16th, - 1.15 a. m. 54.5—40 — 



The third bulb then had four shoots, about 1 cm. above the 

 surface of the soil. Several cress-seeds germinated owing to the 

 copious supply of w^ater, which benefited the whole. 



The respective heights were: — 

 хып. 31 



