BY W. P. BLAKELY. 



19 



Loranthus vitellinus. In fact they are so closely associated that all three are 

 sometimes found upon the same host, and occasionally parasitic on each other, 

 yet I have not seen any forms suggesting- or exhibiting any signs of hybridism. 

 Many species are without doubt pollinated by insects and many of the 

 buds show punctures made by small gi'ubs. 



The Curvature of the Style. 



In some species the style is distinctly curved in bud. This appears to be 

 the result of two causes: — (1) the thickening of the top of the petals, and (2) 

 the closely packed anthers around the top of the style. In all the Australian 

 species, the style, when fully developed, exceeds the anthers by 2-5 mm. The 

 development or extension of the style is sometimes the result of the elongation 

 of the ovary. As the top of the petals in some species is considerably thicker 

 than the median portion, and a concavity is formed on the inner surface by the 

 combined thickness of the stigma and the closely packed anthers, it is evident 

 that both characters act conjointly in the curvature of the style. 



The style of L. sanguineus F. v. M. var. pulcher Ewart is distinctly curved 

 in bud, and it appears that the greatest pressure is apically. The tops of the 

 petals are remarkably thick and coriaceous and considerably broader than in 

 the middle, consequently the latter part is the weakest and therefore apt to 

 offer the least resistance. The style, which appears to grow fastest, meets 

 with opposition at the apex, and is forced to bend in the middle; in so doing 

 it presses against the diminished portion of the corolla and forces the segments 

 apart along the commissural line, the bent portion protruding 3 or 4 mm. above 

 the surface of the segments. At first, only two of the segments are cleft (one 

 opposite the other) by the curving of the style, the others gradually splitting 

 afterwards as the flower ages, from which it appears that the style has some 

 influence on the opening of the flower. The anthers play a prominent part 

 also in the curvature of the style of this variety, as tlieir tips are somewhat 

 firmly pressed into the slight depressions around the base of the large stigma. 

 They remain in that position after the petals separate, and when released have 

 the tendency to keep in an erect position around the style, instead of curling 

 back with the petals away from it, as is the case with nearly all the allied 



In dried specimens the style is distinctly bowed by the adhering anther.?, 

 which are so firmly pressed to the base of the stigma that their apices are 

 broken by the style in its effort to release itself or to gain an erect position. 

 When fully developed it is longer than the petals, and it continues to grow 

 after the flower opens. I have not had the opportunity of carrying out field 

 observations with this form to ascertain the exact position of the stamens in 

 the expanded flower; but in the dried state they coincide with the above descrip- 

 tion. 



Another point to be considered is whether the adhering apices of the 

 anthers that are saturated with pollen grains impregnate the stigma before the 

 style succeeds in releasing itself from the anthers. In the ease of L. Exocarpi 

 Behr. var. (a), the style, when in bud, is bent from one side of the corolla to 

 the other, and is actually shorter than the anthers when in that position. When 

 the flower expands it exceeds the anthers by 3-4 mm. This indicates that the 

 style to some extent assists in the opening of the flower (Keeble, I.e.). In one 

 specimen of L. dietyophlebus F. y. M. the style was distinctly curved, and it 

 had protruded through one of the clefts of tlie petals. L. vitellinus, L. acaeioidea^ 



