16 GERANIUM. [CHAP. 



shed their pollen before the pistil, so that the flower 

 is consequently incapable of fertilising itself. In E. 

 parviflorum, on the contrary, the stamens and pistil 

 come to maturity at the same time. 



Let us take another case that of certain Geraniums. 

 In G. pratense (Figs. 5 and 6, p. 8) all the stamens 

 open, shed their pollen, and wither away before the 

 pistil comes to maturity. The flower cannot therefore 

 fertilise itself, and depends entirely on the visits of 



FIG. ii. EpiloMum angustifoliunt. FIG. 12. Epilobium paivijlorum. 



insects for the transference of the pollen. In G. 

 pyrenaicum, where the flower is not quite so large, 

 all the stamens ripen before the stigma, but the in- 

 terval is shorter, and the stigma is mature before 

 all the anthers have shed their pollen. It is there- 

 fore not absolutely dependent on insects. In G. 

 molle, which has a still smaller flower, five of the 

 stamens come to maturity before the stigma, but the 

 last five ripen simultaneously with it. Lastly, in G. 

 pusillum, which is least of all, the stigma ripens even 

 before the stamens. Thus, then, we have a series more 



