Chap V. CATTLEYA. 147 



it ; and as, in this species, the upper surface of the 

 rostellum resolves itself into yiscid matter, the cau- 

 dicles of the pollinia become glued to it without any 

 mechanical aid. The pollinia, though thus attached, 

 cannot, of course, be removed from their anther-cells 

 without the aid of insects. In this species it seems 

 possible (though, from the position of parts, not 

 probable) that an insect might drag the pollinia out 

 and leave them on the stigma of the same flower. In 

 all the other species of Epidendrum which I examined, 

 and in all the above-mentioned genera, it is evident 

 that the viscid matter has to be forced upwards into 

 the lip of the anther by a retreating insect, which 

 would thus necessarily carry the pollinia from one 

 flower to the stigma of another. 



Nevertheless, self-fertilisation takes place in some 

 Epidendreae. Dr. Criiger says* that "we have in 

 Trinidad three plants belonging to this family (a 

 Schomburgkia, Cattleya, and Epidendron) which rarely 

 open their flowers, and they are invariably found to be 

 impregnated when they do open them. In these cases 

 it is easily seen that the pollen-masses have been acted 

 on by the stigmatic fluid, and that the pollen-tubes 

 descend from the pollen-masses in situ down into the 

 ovarian canal." Mr. Anderson, a skilful cultivator of 

 Orchids in Scotland, also states that several of his 

 Epidendreae fertilise themselves spontaneously.f In 

 the case of Cattleya crispa, the flowers sometimes do 

 not expand properly ; nevertheless they produce cap- 

 sules, one of which he sent to me. It contained an 

 abundance of seeds, but on examination I found that 



..* ' '^^'^^^' Linn. Soc. Bot.' vol. paper Mr. Gosse gives an account 



viii. 1864, p. 131. of his microscopical examination 



t 'Journal of Horticulture,' of the self- fertilised seeds. 

 1863, p. 206 and 287 : in the latter 



