more than 6 in. 

 and prostrate, 

 flowers last from 

 to September. 



10 FLOWERS OF THE HILLS AND DRY PLACES 



loose racemes, with bracts or leaflike organs. The sepals are smooth, 

 the inner ones blunt, ending- in a point, and three-nerved. The style 

 is longer than the ovary, and bent at the base, equalling the stamens, 

 which when touched will spring back and lie upon the petals. The 

 stigma ends in a knob. The seeds are numerous, and the capsule, 

 which opens by three valves, is enclosed by the longer calyx. 



The plant is never 

 high 

 The 

 May 

 The 



Rock Rose is a peren- 

 nial, evergreen, trail- 

 ing plant, increased by 

 means of cuttings. 



There is no honey 

 but abundant pollen. 

 The stamens are nu- 

 merous (150). The 

 pistil projects above 

 them, and insects 

 alighting on the flower 

 touch the pistil before 

 the stamens and cross- 

 pollinate the plant with 

 pollen from a previ- 

 ously visited flower. 

 Self-pollination takes 

 place if no insects 

 visit it. There are 3 

 sepals and 5 petals 

 which open in the sun. 



The anthers and capitate stigma mature together, the latter being a 

 little taller. The anthers are at first close, but move outwards, and dust 

 the insect which touches them with pollen, thus exhibiting irritability. 

 The flower is best visited by the first insects from the corolla and by 

 late-comers from the centre. The insect covered with pollen on a 

 previous flower alights in the centre in the second and cross-pollinates 

 it. Independently of insects' visits it is self-pollinated in closed and 

 nodding flowers. There is abundant pollen sought by Diptera (Syr- 

 phidse), Hymenoptera (Apidae), Coleoptera (Cerambycidae). 



Photo. Flatters & Ga 



ROCK ROSE (Helianthemum Chamcecistus, Mill.) 



