ART III. | THE MECHANISMS OF FLOWERS. 265 
Cnothera tenella, Bert. (Godetia Cavanillesit, Spach.), in the 
- central province of Chili, produces cleistogamic flowers in spring.! 
Fuchsia, L., is visited in New Zealand by Nectarinide (Anthornis 
— melanura); and in North America by Ruby-throated Humming- 
 pirds (Potts, No. 652A, and Trelease, No. 731). 
___ Lopezia coronata, Andr.—The floral mechanism of this plant is 
described and figured by Hildebrand (346). In each flower there 
js present one perfect stamen; a second, standing immediately 
| below, is reduced to a spathulate leaf, whose two halves fold 
upwards, and in the first stage, projecting horizontally from the 
- flower, inclose the anther of the perfect stamen. The stalk of the 
‘spathulate leaf has an elastic tension downwards, the filament of 
_ the stamen an elastic tension upwards ; so when an insect alights 
on the projecting spoon-shaped blade, as the only convenient spot 
from which to reach two drops of honey that seem to rest upon a 
knee-shaped bend in the upper petals, the leaf springs downwards, 
and the stamen is set free and flies upwards, dusting the lower 
‘surface of the insect with pollen. When the stamen has thus served 
_its purpose, it gradually curves upwards out of the flower; and the 
style which was hitherto undeveloped grows gradually out of the 
flower in a horizontal direction, so as to form another alighting- 
place. Self-fertilisation is rendered impossible by this marked 
proterandry. I have frequently seem the whole process performed 
in my room by the house-fly (Musca domestica, L.), and by the 
common gnat (Culex pipiens, L.); and also at an open window by 
the hive-bee. 
What seem to be drops of honey on the two upper petals are 
| Sin reality dry, shining bodies which deceive the flies as well as us. 
| Lopezia coronata is therefore a deceptive flower like Parnassia ; 
jut like the latter, also, it possesses real nectaries in addition,— 
_ two yellow pits at the base of the two stamens, the functional and 
$ the abortive (Delpino, No. 178). 
| _ Lopezia racemosa, Cav., seems, from Ogle’s description (No. 
931), to agree fully in the structure of its flower with L. coronata. 
_—s Lopexia miniata, D.C., is likewise markedly proterandrous ; 
_ but its stamen is not ievitabls: and does not lie inclosed by the 
| spoon-shaped staminode, but stands above it (Hildebrand, No. 356). 
_—«-:170. Circ#a LuTETIANA, L.—This plant is fertilised much in 
, the same way as Veronica Chamedrys, L., in spite of the small 
1 Philippi, Bot. Zeit. 1870, pp. 104-106, 
