jr.] SLEEP OF PLANTS. 41 



front of the sepals, the other in front of the petals. 

 Like other night flowers, it is white, and opens 

 towards evening, when it also becomes extremely 

 fragrant. The first evening, towards dusk, the five 

 stamens in front of the sepals grow very rapidly for 

 about two hours, so that they emerge from the 

 flower ; the pollen ripens, and is exposed by the 

 bursting of the anther. So the flower remains through 

 the night, very attractive to, and much visited by, 

 moths. Towards three in the morning the scent 



FIG. 34. Silcne nutans. 



ceases, the anthers begin to shrivel up or drop off, the 

 filaments turn themselves outwards, so as to be out of 

 the way, while the petals, on the contrary, begin to 

 roll themselves up, so that by daylight they close the 

 aperture of the flower, and present only their brownish- 

 green undersides to view ; which, moreover, are thrown 

 into numerous wrinkles. Thus, by the morning's 

 light, the flower has all the appearance of being faded. 

 It has no smell, and the honey is covered over by 

 the petals. So it remains all day. Towards evening, 

 however, everything is changed. The petals unfold 



