PART III. | THE MECHANISMS OF FLOWERS. 543 
Maranta arundinacea, L., is sterile in South Brazil, where it is 
only propagated asexually. The flowers have ceased to produce 
pollen, but retain the elastic style (359). 
Tribe Cannee. 
Canna.—At an early period the anthers shed all their pollen 
upon the expanded style, from which it is removed by insects and 
conveyed to other flowers (Delpino, 172). According to Hilde- 
brand, spontaneous self-fertilisation very often takes place, and 
leads to the production of good fruit (351, 352). 
Tribe Musee. 
Strelitzia regine, Ait.—The two inner and inferior perianth- 
segments, which inclose the five anthers, separate when a visitor 
presses upon them in trying to enter the flower; the anthers then 
emerge and come in contact with the under surface of the visitor. 
The stigma is exserted, and is accordingly always touched before 
the anthers. Delpino supposed, and Darwin showed by direct 
observation, that the fertilisers are honey-sucking birds (356, p. 
508 ; 360, p. 673 ; 178, p. 232; 567, p. 4). At the Cape of Good 
Hope, it is fertilised by Nectarinidee (164, p. 371). 
Musa.—The Bananas which are cultivated in South Brazil and 
propagated only by asexual means, are barren; their anthers 
produce very little pollen and wither without dehiscing (359, 
p- 275). The flowers of Musa attract insects by an abundant 
secretion of sweetish jelly. Zrigona ruficrus, Latr., is attracted in 
swarms (590, I. p. 14). 
Orv. JRIDEZ. 
387. Irn1s Pseup-Acorus, L.—The honey is secreted by the 
lower portion of the perianth (d d’ 1, Fig. 181), and is collected in 
the space (>) between it and the pistil (a). Access to it is only 
possible at three points, between the lower portion of each outer 
lobe of the perianth and that of the petaloid style above it. The 
filament, adhering as a longitudinal ridge to this portion of each 
perianth-segment, divides the passage to the honey into two separate 
openings (0b); thus altogether six somewhat narrow passages, two 
at the base of each stigmatic lobe, bounded laterally by the pro- 
jections from the outer perianth-segments, form the only approaches 
to the honey. An insect must have a proboscis at least 7 mm. 
