CARYOPHYLLEAE 



181 



plants not far from the same district, and found them homogamous or slightly 

 protandrous. Besides hermaphrodite flowers, he also observed female ones, 

 distributed gynodioeciously or gynomonoeciously. 



Visitors. Herm. Muller observed numerous small nect-skg. flies. 



130. Alsine L. 



Flowers white, usually small, protandrous, homogamous or protogynous, with 

 half-concealed nectar. 



451. A. verna Bartl. (=A. Gerardi Wahlenb.). (Herm. Muller, ' Alpenblumen,' 

 pp. 183-4; Schulz, 'Beitrage,' I, p. 18.) In the Alps, according to Hermann 

 Muller, the flowers of this species attain a diameter of 6 mm. Schulz states that at 

 a height of 2,000-3,000 m. it is as much as 7-9 mm., while in the Riesengebirge 

 it averages 10 mm. There is marked protandry (see Fig. 52), and Schulz asserts 

 that self-pollination does not take place, though Kerner says that it occurs towards 

 the end of anthesis, while according to MacLeod it is brought about by the closing 

 of the flowers in the evening. Smaller female flowers have been observed, in addition 

 to hermaphrodite ones, especially in the Hochgebirge. They are distributed 

 gynomonoeciously and gynodioeciously. 



Fig. 52. Alsine verna, Bartl. (alter Herm. Miiller). A. Flower before the beginning of the first 

 B. Flower in the first half of the first (male) stage. C. Flower in the second half of the same 

 stage, seen from above. D. The same in section seen from the side. E. Flower in the second (female) 

 stage. F. Upper part of the stigma. G. Lower part of the same. 



The hermaphrodite flowers seen by Warming in Greenland belonging to the 

 variety (b) hirta Lange were almost homogamous, and capable of self-pollination. 

 In Spitzbergen the same botanist observed cases of protogyny, representing perhaps 

 a transition towards the female condition. 



