CALIFORNIA PLANTS IN THEIR HOMES 



Salvias have exclusive flowers, the corolla tubes being 

 sufficiently long and slender to keep the honey for desirable 

 guests. The sages make exclusiveness more certain by 

 having tufts of hairs in the corolla tubes. The little chia 

 invites hive bees, and is almost sure to be pollinated by 

 them because of its peculiar stamens; perhaps you can study 

 them out. The big chia invites only bumble-bees to its 

 honey, but hive bees gather its pollen ; both kinds of 

 guests seem afraid to trust themselves to the delicate 

 flowers; they clutch at all of the stamens, styles and fringes 

 within reach, so that the bumble-bee is sometimes sprawl- 

 ing over several flowers at the same time ; in this way, 

 they may often rub pollen on stigmas, but they are not sure 

 to render this service. 



The black sage has surer methods, as you can easily 

 see for yourselves. The flowers are blue, the bees' own 

 color; they are usually of the proper size to exact service 

 from hive bees, and, of course, from native bees of equal or 

 greater size. The younger flowers hold their anthers just 

 where the bee's head will strike them when he comes for 

 honey; the anthers shed pollen downward, and as bees 

 leave the flowers you can see that their heads are blue with 

 pollen. The older flowers put their stigmas in nearly the 

 same place, and as the bees enter you can see the polleny 

 heads strike them. 



The white sage has a curiously folded lower lip that 

 seems designed to bar out all but the strongest bees, and it 

 is very amusing to watch the bees on the flowers. Big 

 bumble-bees skilfully unfold this lower lip, but they seem 

 afraid to trust their whole weight to it, and cling to the 

 flower by thrusting their legs over the two stamens. 

 This brings the anthers against their bodies near the base 

 of the wings. The mature stigmas of the older flowers are 

 likely to rub against this pollen -covered surface, so bumble- 

 bees usually pollinate the flowers. But hive bees, also, are 



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