FIELD OBSERVATIONS ON THE SO-CALLED ANEMONE 29I 



We are indebted to Professor George L. Cannon of Denver for 

 three specimens of Pulsatilla showing variations. The flowers were 

 collected by him in 1878 at Idaho Springs, Colo. One of the speci- 

 mens had seven sepals of different sizes. The involucre was regular, 

 but was densely hairy on the outside. The flower-stalk above the 

 involucre was also thickly covered with soft, white hairs. Another 

 specimen had a regular flower, but the base of the involucre and the 

 flower-stalk above the involucre were densely hairy. Doubling 

 occurred in the flower of the third specimen (Fig. 5.) The outer 

 sepals were of ordinary size, but were branched. Inside of these 

 were several narrower sepals, also branched. Those of the innermost 

 rows were very narrow and very hairy. Stamens were absent — all 

 having been suppressed or else converted into sepals. About the 

 ordinary number of carpels were found. The involucre consisted 

 of four dissected leaves, two of which were inside the other two. The 

 outer leaves were united at the base, the inner ones separated. 



Pollination 



Knuth, in his Handbuch der Blutenbiologie, describes the flowers 

 of seven European species of Pulsatilla, and lists the insects found 

 in them. Pulsatilla alpina is a yellow-flowered species found in the 

 Alps. It differs from ours in having some of the plants cross pol- 

 Hnated and some self pollinated. There are also some which are 

 andro-dioecious, and some andro-monoecious. P. vernalis is not so 

 distinctly proterogenous as the American species. Some of the 

 flowers are self pollinated. P. patens agrees in the main with this 

 species. P. pratensis, P. vulgaris, P. montana, P. transsylvanica do 

 not differ radically from our species in the method of pollination. 

 Of the insects listed by Knuth bees seem to occupy the most important 

 places as polHnating agents. Ants, flies and bugs are also mentioned, 

 and in two cases beetles and butterflies were found. 



Our own observations are that in Pulsatilla hirsutissima the 

 stigmas are ready for polHnation before the anthers of the same 

 flower are ripe. They produce a secretion which is thin and gives 

 them a shiny appearance. Bees are the most important agents in 



