SECT. I. ACCESS OF THE POLLEN. 351 



SECTION I. 



Access of the Pollen. 

 WHEN the stamens and pistils are situated near By the 



each other, as in the case whether of Hermaphro- 



dite or Monoecious flowers, the elastic spring with 

 which the anther flies open will generally be suffi- 

 cient to disperse the pollen, so as that part of it 

 must infallibly reach the stigma. The facilities 

 tending to ensure the access of the pollen as re- 

 sulting from the relative proportion, situation, and 

 mutual sympathies of the stamens and pistils have 

 been already noticed ; as well as the possible action 

 of winds wafting the pollen to a distance, and 

 hence including the case of Dioecious plants also. 

 But with all the above facilities the impregnation 

 of the seed would still in many cases be impracti- 

 cable even in Hermaphrodite flowers, without 

 further aid ; particularly in such as do not perfect 

 their stamens and pistils at the same time. For 

 although the action of the wind cannot but be 

 efficacious in some such cases ; yet it will, in some 

 others, naturally give to the flower a direction cal- 

 culated rather to prevent than to aid the access of 

 the pollen, by causing the corolla to veer round like 

 a vane according to the quarter from which it may 

 happen to blow ; or the very figure of the corolla 

 may operate as a bar to the entrance of the pollen 





