146 MYSTERIES OF THE FLOWERS 



fertilised; but since the pollen glands still retain 

 their adhesiveness, they may sometimes be borne 

 away to the stigma of another flower, and thus cross 

 the life lines and stimulate the seedlings into re- 

 newed vitality and resistance. 



Small Green Orchis; Tubercled Orchis — Habenaria flava 



June-July 



An inconspicuous little orchid 

 found in wet meadows from Ontario 

 to Minnesota, and southward to 

 Louisiana and Florida. Each little 

 blossom is but a quarter of an inch 

 high and wide, and its distinguish- 

 ing feature can be discovered only by 

 means of a strong glass. This is a 

 little protuberance or tubercle grow- 

 ing up in the middle of the lower 

 lip. I believe we owe to Mr. Gibson 

 the explanation of this excrescence, 

 which he supposes to be intended to 

 compel an insect to approach the 

 nectar-well from the right or the left 

 side, and thus to make sure that his 

 tongue shall touch one or the other 

 gland and pull away a mass of 

 pollen. 



TUBERCLED 

 ORCHID 



