LILIACEAE 447 



perianth below it from trickling down, which would otherwise happen in consequence 

 of the pendulous position of the flower. Loew states that narrow grooves in the 

 middle of the petals and covered by the filaments serve as nectar-passages. 



Calloni describes the flowers as homogamous, Kerner as incompletely proto- 

 gynous. The former considers the plant anemophilous on account of its long, 

 projecting stamens and broad stigma, and at the same time entomophilous because 

 of the bright colouring of the flowers and their secretion of nectar. Loew is of the 

 opinion that the whole flower mechanism indicates only entomophily, and that the 

 difficulty of access to the nectar points to the visits of the more skilful bees and 

 lepidoptera. 



Briquet (Mem. soc. sci. nat., Cherbourg, xxx, 1896) has re-examined the flower 

 on account of the differing opinions of Calloni and Loew regarding its mechanism, 

 and essentially confirms Loew's view, writing as follows. * The brilliantly coloured 

 perianth possesses distinct nectar-guides. A pit-shaped nectary is situated at the 

 base of each of the three sepals, and is related to the nectar-passage formed by 

 the bases of the petals. A collar-shaped ligular structure at the base of the petals 

 forms a nectar-cover, which at the same time covers the nectar-passage.' 



Visitors. These are bees, which chiefly effect cross-pollination, this being 

 favoured by the feeble protogyny of the flower. 



2732. E. Smithii Hook. Briquet (op. cit.) describes the flowers of this 

 species as possessing a similar mechanism to E. Dens-canis. Some American 

 species, however, diverge in certain respects. 



877. Dracaena Vaud. 



2733. D. Goldieana Hort. Marion ('Note sur la floraison du Dracaena 

 Goldieana') says that this species bears night-flowers. They open their white 

 perianths towards evening, and diff"use a penetrating, pleasant odour of lilies. They 

 are markedly protogynous. 



878. Yucca Dill. 



KiXQ-y {vide Bibliography, Vol. I, pp. 336-7, Nos. 2934-6, 2941-5, 2947, 2950-1) 

 states that the pollen is stuffed into the stigmas of all capsular species of this genus 

 by the Yucca moth (Pronuba yuccasella Riley) in order that the larvae, on emerging 

 from the eggs, may obtain the nourishment necessary for their sustenance. The 

 moth lays her eggs in the pistil of the flower, in the neighbourhood of the ovules 

 {cf. Vol. I, pp. 102-3). 



879. Eremurus Bieb. 



2734. E. spectabilis Bieb. Hildebrand (Flora, Marburg, xxxix, 1881) says 

 that the flowers of this species lose their colour before the anthers and stigma 

 mature. 



Regarding this Hermann Miiller says (Bot. Ztg., Leipzig, xl, 1882). 'The 

 flowers lose their conspicuousness before the maturation of the stigmas and anthers. 

 As in the case of Weigelia, Lantana, and many other flowers undergoing a colour- 

 change, the gain here is that the less intelligent and useless guests are attracted away 

 to the more conspicuous flowers which contain no treasure for them. 



