IV 



BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS 53 



open, and after half a day the stigmas, if these open 

 at all. 



Pollination. For a long time nothing was known 

 of the pollination of the cocoa flower, and the question 

 as to how the flowers were pollinated was a very 

 puzzling one. Wright * says that Dr. Uzel carried out 

 a few experiments on the subject in Ceylon. In the 



FIG. 15. Parts of the cocoa flower. 



A, The flower after removing the sepals and the petals, showing the stamina (sto),-the 

 staminodes (sto), and the pistil (pi). Enlarged 8 times. 



B, One stamen with the four anthers (a). Enlarged 16 times. 



C, The ovary (o), with the pistil (pi) and the stigmata (sti). Enlarged 16 times. 



flowers examined, large numbers of thrips were found, 

 and Dr. Uzel was of opinion that flowers were pollinated 

 by these insects. By another author, Green (also 

 mentioned by Wright), the common aphis is regarded 

 as playing a role in the pollination. By others the 

 different species of ants which live on the cocoa plant 

 have been claimed to be the chief agents. 



There are, however, facts which indicate that none 



1 Wright, Cocoa, p. 24. 



