268 The Botanical Gazette. [May, 
POLYGONATUM Adans.—This genus contains perennial 
herbs wi@h pendulous, tubular bell-shaped, greenish flowers, 
which are homogamous, adapted to bumble-bees, or other 
long-tongued bees, though sometimes also visited by Lepi- 
doptera and small insects which crawl into the tube.  Self- 
pollination, as well as cross-pollination, may be effected by 
insects, or in some cases spontaneous self-poliination may oc- 
cur by the anthers coming in contact with the stigma. That 
nectar is secreted by the ovary was known to Sprengel (1), 
while Bonnier (2) and Grassmann (7) have indicated the pres- 
ence of septal glands. 
We may suppose that the pendulous position of the flowers 
owes its origin to the fact that it renders them less convenient 
to other insects, but equally convenient to the higher bees, 
which are the most efficient pollinators; and that the resulting 
protection to pollen and nectar is merely an incidental effect. 
On the theory that the flowers are adapted to bumble-bees, 
it is hard to understand the observation of Schulz (14) that 
the flowers of P. verticillatum, multiflorum and officinale att 
frequently perforated by them. In the case of the short- 
tongued species, like B. terrestris, we may suppose that the 
perforation is made because the bee cannot reach the nectar 
in the legitimate way. In the case of P. verticillatum the 
pollen back to the stigma of the same flower. The flowers 
bloom from the 17th of May to the 14th of June. On May 
Apide : (1) Bombus vagans Sm. 9, s. & c. p.; (2) Anthophora dest 
wer s. - c. p.; (3) eb. 
n the literature of Polygonatum see: ? 
1) Sprengel, Das entdeckte Geheimniss 198-9. 1 Comoallar® 
oo : een Nectiuce ay 9 8 
