THE FLORA OF SINGAPORE, 33 
Chestnuts, Sindora and Aurrimia are particularly attractive to 
them and the roar of their wings can be heard often at some 
distance from the tree. The chief of these flies is a black Musca 
have deep brownish purple flowers sometimes with an odor of 
carrion, at others sweet and aromatic, such are А mor phophallus, 
Thottea, Tacca and many orchids. These are also fly-fertilize 
Many trees produce masses of white flowers in large panicles or 
corymbs. These are very attractive to butterflies and bees, 
such are many of the Eugenias, Evodia, Rhodamnia, and Melan- 
norrhea. 1 have noticed as showing the bearing of the color of 
the flowers on insect visitors, that while Eugenia lineata with 
corymbs of white flowers attracts innumerable butterflies and 
bees and the pollen-eating flies (Syrpha), another species of Euge- 
nia with apple-green flowers, which is growing close by was 
not visited either by butterflies or bees, but by flies similar to those 
anl are 
which visit the oaks. ink flowers are not so common 
bright reds are rare in Singapore exce 
but we have also the beautiful Aeschynanthus, Rhododendron, 
some Loranthi, and some species of Hornstedtia. The red flowers 
are most attractive to the Sun-birds, and to butterflies. Bright 
yellow flowers are chiefly to be met with in open country especi- . 
ally near the sea; such are Wedelia, Xyris, Philydrum, Utricularia 
(most), Wormia, Timonius, and Gomphia sumatrana. The rarest 
color of all is blue, which is also to be met with almost exclu- 
sively in open spots. Burmannia coelestis, Commelina, Cyanotis, 
Urticularia affinis, Evolvulus, Monochoria, Desmodiu n heterophyl- 
lum, are almost the only native blue Howers here. 
Visitors to the tropics are often surprised by the apparent 
paucity and inconspicuousness of the flowers. This is partly 
due to the enormous proportion of foliage, which conceals the 
flowers, but the fact that the greater number of our flowers are 
adapted for fertilization by Diptera and small Hymenoptera, the 
most abundant insects in the forests, and are consequently small 
and green or whitish, accounts to a large extent for the small 
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