OCTOBER. 179 



Both species of Clematis come now into flower. There 

 are considered to be five species in the immediate neigh- 

 bourhood of Dunedin, but for any but botanical specialists 

 we may confine our attention to the large white form 

 C. indivisa and the fragrant yellowish kind misnamed 

 by Raoul Clematis foetida. All the New Zealand species 

 of Clematis have flowers which are strictly dioecious in 

 function that is, one set of plants bears male and the 

 other set female flowers. Thus, while the large male 

 flowers have only a great tuft of stamens and no carpels, 



Native Violets Viola Cunninghamii. 



the female flowers have a central mass of carpels sur- 

 rounded by a row of stamens, but the latter are f unction - 

 less, having no pollen in their anthers. This sort of 

 incomplete structure is not at all uncommon in New 

 Zealand flowers. The large white Clematis is scentless and 

 destitute of nectar ; the smaller yellow one is very 

 fragrant, but I do not think it has any nectar. Both are 

 visited for the sake of the large quantity of pollen which 

 they produce. Clematis resembles Anemone in having 

 petaloid (that is, brightly coloured) sepals but no petals, 

 and also in the fact that the style grows after the flower 



