PLANTS OF THE MOORLAND 105 



a solitary white flower (occasionally yellow) on a long 

 stalk, which gives forth a fragrance of honey during 

 the day and is scentless at night. There are five 

 stamens and when one is quite ready to allow the 

 pollen to burst from its anther it is incurved to the 

 centre of the flower. An insect alighting from above on 

 the centre of the flower is sure to get brushed by the 

 bursting anther, and if an insect creeps in from the 

 margin of the petals it has to surmount a curious 

 fence of filaments radiating from the nectar-produc- 

 ing scales. In getting over this fence the insect is 

 brought near the centre of the flower, where the 

 bursting stamen is, and is sure to be dusted with 

 pollen. When a stamen has lost all its pollen it 

 curves outwards, and another moves in to take its 

 place, till all the five are emptied. Then, since they 

 have all curved outwards, the pistil is left clear. Now 

 as the pistil ripens later than the stamens it must be 

 cross-fertilised by pollen brought by the visitors from 

 another Grass of Parnassus flower which opened a 

 few days after the first. This subject may be pursued 

 further in the great treasure-house known as Kerner's 

 "Natural History of Plants," translated and edited 

 by Professor F. W. Oliver. 



Another very pleasing flower, especially common 

 in wet places, is the Bog Asphodel (Narthecium ossi- 

 fraguni), which belongs to the Order of Lilies. From 

 a long wiry creeping stem, with stiff, sword-shaped 

 leaves, there rises an erect and stiff flowering stalk. 

 The flowers appear in July and August and have a 

 charming golden-yellow colour. As the dry perianth 

 persists around the red seedbox, the fruiting Bog 

 Asphodel looks as if it were still flowering. This 



