Chap. IV. EPIPACTIS LATIFOLIA. 101 



firmly united to the basal portion (fig. 16), so that it 

 is not flexible and elastic ; it apparently serves only as 

 a landing-place for insects. The fertilisation of this 

 species depends simply on an insect striking in- an 

 upward and backward direction the highly-protuberant 

 rostellum, which it would be apt to do when retreating 

 from the flower after having sucked the copious nectar 



Fi?. 16. 



EpIPACTIS LATIFOLIA. 



Flower viewed sideways, with all the sepals and petals removed, except the 

 label lum. 



a. anther. I s. stigma. 



r. rostellum. ' /. labellum. 



in the cup of the labellum. Apparently it is not at 

 all necessary that the insect should push upwards the 

 blunt upper end of the anther ; at least I found that 

 the pollinia could be removed easily by simply drag- 

 ging off the cap of the rostellum in an upward or 

 backward direction. 



As some plants grew close to my house, I have been 

 able to observe here and elsewhere their manner of 

 fertilisation during several years. Although hive-bees 

 and humble-bees of many kinds were constantly flying 

 over the plants, I never saw a bee or any Dipterous 

 insect visit the flowers ; but in Germany Sprengel 

 caught a fly with the pollinia of this plant attached 

 to its back. On the other hand I have repeatedly 



