LYTHRARIEAE 439 



6 humble-bees, 5 hover-flies, and 5 Lepidoptera (Bot. Jaarb. Dodonaea, Ghent, vi, 

 1894, p. 393). Thomson (Sweden) the rare bee Melitta (Cilissa) melanura Nyl. 

 Scott-Elliot (Dumfriesshire) Apis, 2 humble-bees, a hover-fly, and a Lepidopterid 

 (' Flora of Dumfriesshire,' p. 68). Loew (Berlin Botanic Garden) 2 hover-flies, skg. 

 (Melanostoma mellina Z., and Syrphus pyrastri Z.), and a bee (Apis mellifica Z. 5, 

 skg.) ; and, on the var. angustifolia, 2 bees, skg. (Apis, and Bombus agrorum F. $). 



Heinsius noticed the following, all skg., in Holland. 



A. Hymenoptera. (a) Apidae : 1. *Apis mellifica Z. |jf ; 2. *Bombus agrorum 

 F. J and $f \ 3- B. cognatus Steph. ; 4. *B. terrester Z. $ ; 5. *Melitta (Cilissa) 

 melanura Nyl. $ ; 6. Heriades nigricornis Nyl. t; 7. Melecta luctuosa Scop.; 8. 

 *Psithyrus campestris Pz. ; 9. *P. vestalis Fourcr. J. B. Lepidoptera. (a) Rhopa- 

 locera: 10. Lycaena icarus Roll. J; 11. Pieris napi Z. J; 12. P. rapae Z. $; 13. 

 Polyommatus dorilis Zfo. S; 14. Papilio machaon Z. ; 15. Rhodocera rhamni Z. J 

 and $>. () Noctuidae : 16. Euclidia glyphica Z. C. Diptera. (a) Muscidae : 1 7. Prosena 

 siberita Z 7 . $>. (d) Syrphidae: 18. Helophilus pendulus Z. 5 ; 19. Rhingia campestris 

 i^. $ ; 20. Syritta pipiens Z. Of these visitors only the humble-bees regularly effect 

 all the legitimate unions, while the others leave some of the anthers and stigmas 

 untouched, especially those of the long stamens and styles. 



1035. L. Hyssopifolia L. (Schulz, ' Beitrage,' I, p. 38.) The small lilac 

 flowers of this species are arranged in terminal spikes, and Schulz describes them 

 as being slightly protogynous. Since the anthers are at the same level as the 

 stigmas, and very near them, automatic self-pollination regularly takes place, should 

 crossing not be effected by insects, as it sometimes is. 



Visitors. I observed the following in the Kiel Botanic Garden (' Bloemenbiol. 

 Bijdragen '). 



A. Hymenoptera. Apidae: all skg.; 1. Apis mellifica Z. $f ; 2. Bombus 

 lapidarius Z. 5 ; 3- B. terrester Z. ijj. B. Diptera. Syrphidae : 4. Eristalis tenax Z., 

 skg. and po-dvg. C. Lepidoptera. Rhopalocera : 5. Pieris rapae Z., skg. 



^297. Peplis L. 

 Very small, inconspicuous, rose-coloured flowers, with exposed nectar. 



1036. P. Portula L. (Henslow, Trans. Linn. Soc. (Bot.), London, 2. Ser., 

 J 875, p. 363 ; MacLeod, Bot. Jaarb. Dodonaea, Ghent, vi, 1894, pp. 303-4 ; Koehne, 

 Bot. Jahrb., Leipzig, vi, 1885, p. 39; Knuth, 'Bl. u. Insekt. a. d. nordfr. Ins.,' 

 p. 73.) In the flowers of this species, according to Koehne, the petals are only 

 6 mm. long, fugacious, and often absent altogether. The five or six stamens do 

 not project beyond the calyx. The stigma is almost sessile, so that autogamy 

 by the fall of pollen regularly takes place in the tiny blossoms. Submerged flowers 

 remain closed, and, since they contain air, are pseudo-cleistogamously fertilized as 

 the result of automatic self-pollination. 



MacLeod describes a small scantily secreting nectary at the base of the ovary. 

 During anthesis the flower is wide open, and its six stamens are curved slightly 

 inwards; but the most anterior and the most posterior stamen, owing to a lateral 

 compression of the flower, do not spread out so much as the other four. Hence 

 it follows that the anthers of these two stamens almost always touch the pistil, 

 so that automatic self-pollination is inevitable. When the flower closes, all six 

 anthers are pressed against the stigma. 



