9 



FLOWERS OF THE WOODS AND COPSES 



shower the pollen on the bee's head. The stamens afterwards bend 

 back, so that bees do not touch the anthers, and the 2 stigmas move 

 forward into the former place and become more spreading. If insects 

 do not visit the flower it is seldom self-pollinated, but insect visits are 

 frequent, though the flowers are not large, but strong- or sweet-scented. 

 In bending backwards the anthers may touch the stigmas. The honey 

 lies in the tissue at the base of the ovary, and fills the tube, which 

 is 9-10 mm. long, to a height of 4 mm. Wood Sage is visited by 

 Bombus, Anthophora, Saropoda, and Eristalis. 



WOOD SAGE (Teucrium Scorodonia, L. 



When the lower flowers have reached the female condition those 

 above are still male. Thus a bee first visiting male flowers carries 

 the pollen away to a second plant. 



The nutlets, as in other Labiates, are free, and when ripe fall out 

 to the ground. 



Wood Sage is a rock plant growing on rock soil, or a sand-lover 

 and addicted to a sand soil. It is common on granitic, schistose, and 

 slate rocks. 



The leaves are attacked by a fungus Pnccinia annularis. 



Beetles have a predilection for Wood Sage, e.g. Apion rubens, Meli- 

 gethes bidens, M. obscurus, Byrrhus pilule, Longitarsiis piilex, L. distin- 



