SECT. xm. ORCHIS MASCULA. 391 



lobed confluent mass or stigma below it, through, which 

 the pollen grains fertilize the ovary, which latter forms 

 the apparently twisted stalk, by which the blossom is 

 attached to the stem. In fact, the rostellum (r) projects 

 into the mouth of the nectary, and overhangs the con- 

 fluent stigmas (s s) . The lowest and narrowest part of a 

 hood-shaped anther (fig. 73 a a,) is attached to the back 

 of the rostellum, and consists of two rather widely sepa- 

 rated oblong cells, which open longitudinally in front". 

 Each cell contains a pollen-mass, or pollinium. Fig. 74 

 represents one with its club-shaped mass of pollen 

 grains, its stalk, and viscid disc. These objects are 



Fig. 74. Pollinium of Orchis Fig. 75. Pollen grains of 



mascula : -p, pollinium ; Orchis mascula. 



c, candicle ; d, disc. 



seen in situ in fig. 73. A pollinium consists of a 

 number of wedge-shaped packets of pollen grains held 

 together by exceedingly elastic fine threads, as in fig. 75 ; 

 the packets unite into the club-shaped head, and the 

 threads form the stem ; the viscid discs are formed by 

 the rostellum. 



At an. early period of growth the rostellum consists of 

 a mass of polygonal cells full of brownish matter, which 

 soon resolve themselves into two balls of an extremely 

 viscid semifluid substance void of structure. These two 

 discs are flat on the top, and rounded below. They lie 

 quite free within the rostellum, except at the back, 

 where each viscid disc firmly adheres to a small portion 

 of the exterior membrane of the rostellum. The ends 



