24 FLOWERS OF THE FIELDS AND MEADOWS 



Red Clover is rarely more than i ft. high, and flowers from May 

 to September. It is perennial, and may be increased by division. 



The tube is long, 9-10 mm., and is not accessible as a rule to 

 short-lipped bees such as the Honey Bee, which gets its supply of 

 honey from the White Clover. The tube is formed by the cohesion 

 of the nine inferior stamens with each other, and with the claws of the 

 petals (keel, and base of the wings and standard or vexillum). The 

 honey, which is abundant, lies at the base of the stamens, and is 

 accumulated round the base of the ovary in the tube. The bee thrusts 

 its head under the vexillum and into the staminal tube, and if the 

 superior stamen were united with the others to form a tube the in- 

 sect's proboscis would come in contact with it; but only its two ends 

 are in the middle line, the rest lying on the side throughout its whole 

 length. At the anterior end of the tube lie the broad base of the 

 standard, continuous with the superior and lateral portion of the tube 

 and with the inferior part by an expansion at the base of the free limb, 

 and also the base of the carina attached to the inferior part of the tube 

 in the interval left by the standard, which returns at once to its position 

 after it has been depressed. The two alae with flexible claws, with 

 a lamina expanded at the base, cover the top of the tube, and keep it 

 and the petals in position. The two alae and the staminal tube also 

 (like the vexillum and carina) come off from the anterior end of the 

 common tube, the tube, as has been seen, being split superiorly to 

 include the free tenth stamen, dividing into stiff filaments curving 

 upwards, thickened at the end. 



The style lies in the centre of the tube, curving upwards, the stigma 

 exceeding the anthers. The bee clings on to the alae and rests the 

 middle and hind legs lower down, the keel and alae are depressed, 

 and the stigma and anthers touch the bee's head below. Pollen 

 brought from elsewhere is deposited on the stigma by the bee. The 

 bee is then dusted afresh with pollen from the anthers, and cross- 

 pollination follows. As the bee withdraws from the flower it may 

 touch the stigma with some of the pollen just applied, and cause self- 

 pollination. The pod opens at the top, allowing the 1-4 seeds to fall 

 out. 



The visitors are Apidae, Diptera (Bombyliidae, Syrphidae, Conopidae), 

 Lepidoptera Large White (Pieris brassicce], Small White (P. rap(?\ 

 Small Tortoise-shell ( Vanessa urticce], Wall Butterfly (Satyrus (Par- 

 arge] meg&ra), Meadow Brown (S. (Epinephele] janira), Large 

 Skipper (Aiigiades (Hesperia) sylvanus\ the Small Skipper (Adop&a 

 (77.) thaumas], Silver Y Moth (Plusia gamma]. 



