﻿418 
  Transactions. 
  — 
  Botany 
  t 
  

  

  Aet. 
  LXI. 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  nuans 
  of 
  Fertilization 
  among 
  some 
  New 
  Zealand 
  OrcJdds. 
  

  

  By 
  G. 
  M. 
  Thomson. 
  

   [Read 
  before 
  the 
  Otago 
  Institute, 
  lltli 
  June, 
  1878.] 
  

   The 
  following 
  notes 
  drawn 
  np 
  from 
  jottings 
  made 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  spring 
  

   and 
  summer, 
  are 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  exhaustive, 
  but 
  may 
  rather 
  be 
  looked 
  upon 
  

   as 
  a 
  small 
  contribution 
  to 
  our 
  already 
  existing 
  information 
  on 
  this 
  interest- 
  

   ing 
  subject. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  eleven 
  genera 
  which 
  are 
  represented 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  I 
  

   have 
  made 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  lengthened 
  observations 
  on 
  ten, 
  viz. 
  : 
  Earina. 
  Don- 
  

   drohium, 
  Corysanthcs, 
  Microtis, 
  Calaclenia, 
  Pterostylis, 
  Chiloglottis, 
  Lyjoeran- 
  

   thus, 
  Thelymitra 
  and 
  Prasophyllmn. 
  I 
  was 
  not 
  fortunate 
  enough 
  to 
  obtain 
  

   specimens 
  of 
  Gastrodia, 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  readily 
  overlooked 
  plant. 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  my 
  specimens 
  were 
  cultivated, 
  and 
  thus 
  yielded 
  more 
  certain 
  

   information 
  than 
  those 
  which 
  were 
  examined 
  in 
  the 
  wild 
  state. 
  

  

  One 
  fact 
  which 
  has 
  struck 
  me 
  during 
  these 
  investigations 
  is, 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  

   hardly 
  ever 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  capture 
  insects 
  carrying 
  pollen 
  on 
  any 
  part 
  of 
  their 
  

   body. 
  Only 
  when 
  examining 
  beds 
  of 
  Corysanthes 
  have 
  I 
  found 
  insects 
  with 
  

   pollinia. 
  It 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  the 
  general 
  coldness 
  of 
  the 
  past 
  season, 
  and 
  

   the 
  remarkable 
  scarcity 
  of 
  all 
  kinds 
  of 
  insects, 
  have 
  had 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  to 
  do 
  

   with 
  this. 
  If 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  case, 
  of 
  course 
  a 
  disturbing 
  element 
  has 
  been 
  

   introduced 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  into 
  my 
  observations. 
  

  

  Tribe 
  Epidendee^. 
  

   (1.) 
  Earina 
  aiitumnalis. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  had 
  a 
  large 
  clump 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  in 
  cultivation 
  all 
  summer, 
  but 
  

   owing 
  probably 
  to 
  the 
  want 
  of 
  warmth 
  it 
  only 
  came 
  into 
  bloom 
  towards 
  

   the 
  end 
  of 
  March. 
  It 
  produced 
  abundance 
  of 
  flowers, 
  however, 
  having 
  

   about 
  1100 
  on 
  it 
  when 
  examined 
  on 
  6th 
  April. 
  

  

  The 
  flowers 
  are 
  only 
  about 
  ^ 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  diameter, 
  white 
  in 
  colour, 
  

   with 
  a 
  yellow 
  centre, 
  and 
  with 
  an 
  almost 
  over-poweringly 
  sweet 
  perfume. 
  

   The 
  labellum 
  is 
  3-lobed, 
  stands 
  nearly 
  erect 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  column, 
  and 
  has 
  

   its 
  lateral 
  lobes 
  produced 
  forward 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  to 
  it. 
  It 
  bears 
  two 
  

   strongly 
  marked 
  longitudinal 
  ridges 
  on 
  its 
  surface, 
  which 
  almost 
  touch 
  the 
  

   sides 
  of 
  the 
  column, 
  and 
  leave 
  a 
  minute 
  nearly 
  square 
  passage 
  to 
  its 
  base. 
  

   There 
  is 
  no 
  nectary, 
  but 
  the 
  tissue 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  labellum 
  is 
  easily 
  

   punctured, 
  and 
  exudes 
  beads 
  of 
  moisture. 
  The 
  column 
  is 
  short 
  and 
  erect, 
  

   the 
  stigmatic 
  surface 
  very 
  concave, 
  with 
  the 
  viscid 
  rostellum 
  projecting 
  

   prominently 
  forw'ard 
  above 
  it. 
  The 
  anther 
  is 
  terminal 
  and 
  deciduous, 
  and 
  

   encloses 
  four 
  pyriform 
  pollinia 
  attached 
  in 
  pairs 
  to 
  a 
  short 
  caudicle. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  parts 
  it 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  impossible 
  that 
  self- 
  

   CeltiiizatioB 
  eould 
  take 
  place. 
  The 
  pollinia 
  are 
  remarkably 
  coherent, 
  and 
  

  

  