G. M, Thomson. — O71 the Fertilization of Flowering Plants. 271 



or flags of invitation to honey-loving insects. These flowers are also sweet- 

 scented. 



The genus Erechtites has inconspicuous greenish flower-heads, which 

 never expand much. They have no scent, and no honey, and are probably 

 self-fertilized. 



The genus Senecio exhibits a great diversity in its flowers. S. lautus has 

 yellowish, but by no means conspicuous flowers. These are scentless, but 

 contain a little honey, and, as has been already remarked, are proteran- 

 drous. 



S. layopiis and S. hellidioides (probably two extreme forms of the same 

 variable species), and the beautiful S. lyalli, have very conspicuous flowers, 

 which are also scentless, and produce very little honey. S. rotundifoliiis, 

 which grows so abundantly round the coasts and in the bush of Stewart 

 Island and the West Coast Sounds, has comparatively inconspicuous flowers, 

 but these are of an overpowering fragrance, and the tubes of the florets 

 almost overflow with honey. 



Lastly, Microseris forsteri has solitary flower-heads destitute of scent, and 

 with very little honey, but they are bright yellow, very conspicuous, and 

 proterandi'ous. 



Nat. Ord. StylibiejE. 



The flowers of this order are characterized inter alia by being gynandrous, 

 i.e. having their style and stamens united into a column. Instead of aiding 

 in self-fertilization, as might at first be supposed, this arrangement more 

 commonly prevents it. The order is represented by three genera in New 

 Zealand. 



Phyllachne (Forstera) sedifolia has extremely variable flowers as to size, 

 those which grow on the hills near Dunedin being seldom more than a 

 fourth of an inch in diameter, while some gathered by me on Frazer Peaks, 

 Stewart Island, were over three-fourths of an inch, and furnished with a 

 very beautiful dark-purple eye. All I have gathered have been hermaphro- 

 dite, but according to Hooker they are sometimes unisexual. These flowers 

 are scentless, but so strongly proterandrous as to be practically dioecious. 

 The two stamens shed all their pollen, and wither completely, before the 

 stigmas commence to expand and recurve. The flowers are furnished with 

 two epigynous glands, whose function I have not made out ; it may be to 

 secrete honey, of which the flowers contain a little. They are manifestly 

 entomophilous. 



Siylidium suhulatum is a very doubtful member of this genus. Its 

 column is short and straight, and in no way irritable, whereas one of the 

 characteristics of the genus is a bent, irritable column which sjprings up 

 with considerable force on a touch, and throws the pollen out of the 



