340 JOURNAL, BOMB AY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVII. 



of flowering times is reached in May. Humidity, clouds, and rainfall 

 cannot account for that minimum, and still less so, if we see the curve 

 of flowering times descending since January. But as soon as we take 

 into consideration that the temperature is rising during February, March 

 and April, and reaches its maximum in May, we cannot but suspect a 

 certain relation between temperature and flowering season. Whether 

 there exists such a relation actually, we must learn in the course of 

 our investigation. I think we might explain the &ame fact in this way. 

 We see a comparatively high percentage of flowers in December and 

 January, and a continually decreasing number in February, March, 

 April, and May, not on account of the rising temperature, but because 

 the rainy season still exercises its influence upon the flowering season, 

 stronger in December than in January, and stronger in January than in 

 February, etc. That this effect could be produced by humidity of the 

 soil only is evident, but just this humidity is to a great extent dependent 

 on the temperature, especially in regions like the bhats and the Deccan, 

 which, owing to their special geological formation, are more exposed to 

 the desiccating influence of the sun. In this way it seems again, that 

 we are not allowed to neglect entirely the influence of temperature. 

 By the fact, however, that the curve of flowering times rises rapidly and 

 continually from May to October without a great change in temperature, 

 it is shown to evidence that the influence of temperature is so slight, 

 that we may wholly neglect it without incurring any inaccuracy. 



How is it that the maximum of flowering times does not coincide with 

 the maximum of rain and clouds and approximately of humidity in July, 

 but with a very low rainfall in October ? The fact is easily explained if 

 we bear in mind, that herbaceous plants ( with the only exception of 

 many of those which are provided with bulbs, tubers, or rhizomes, e- 

 gr. Liliacese, Dioscoreacese, Taccaceseh, Amaryllidaceaa, Scitaminacese, 

 Orchidacese, Aroidacea?) have not got a store of reserve material which 

 enables them to develop flowers as soon as the outer circumstances allow 

 it, but that they have to grow first the vegetative organs (stem and 

 leaves), by means of which they are enabled to produce the necessary 

 material for the construction of the reproductive organs. It is, thus, 

 easily understood why the greatest part of the herbaceous plants is 

 found flowering not at the beginning of the rainy season, but at a later 

 period, according to the time they need for the development of the 

 vegetative organs. 



