94 THE COLOURS OF FLOWERS. 



Arbutus and Vaccmiuin. Pyrola, at least, is a 

 clearly degraded type. 



The Orchids themselves, that most specialised of 

 entomophilous types, show us other examples of 

 flowers which have become more or less green ; such 

 as Malaxis pahcdosa, which has a yellowish tinge ; 

 Liparis loeselii, also yellowish ; Epipactis latifolia^ 

 greenish brown ; Listera ovata, grass-green ; Habe- 

 naria viridis, yellowish green, and Herminium 

 monorchism pale greenish yellow. Why these highly- 

 developed entomophilous blossoms should have found 

 green suit them better than white, pink, or purple, it 

 would be hard to say ; but the fact remains indis- 

 putable ; and it would be almost inconceivable that 

 flowers of so high a type should have remained green 

 all through the various stages of their long previous 

 development. We may confidently set them down 

 as products of incipient degeneration. 



Among polypetalous flowers we get some equally 

 interesting facts. Green appears as a variegation- 

 colour on the highly-developed pea-flower, Lathyrus 

 silvestris, and some others. Helleborus viridis, a 

 doubtfully English ranunculaceous plant, has small 

 green petals, employed as nectaries, and concealed 

 by the large green sepals. It is entomophilous, and 

 much visited by insects. Instead of being one of 

 the least-developed Ranuntulacecey however, it is one 

 of the most advanced and highly differentiated types. 

 In the lily family, again, the onion genus {Allium) is 

 a small, and often degraded, group, whose more retro- 

 grade members produce green in place of purple or 

 white flowers. In Allium vineale, and some others, 

 the flowers often degenerate so far as to become 



