176 



ON THE NECTARIES OF FLOWERS. 



Sectaries in 

 the diadel- 

 phian class. 



DIrlynamian 

 plants, and 

 those with 

 naked seeds. 



had I not released it^ for the warmth or moisture of its body so 

 contracted the spiral wire in the petals, as to press them tight 

 against the insect. Nor could it ever have regained its liberty. 

 It was really astonishing to see the flower able to resist the 

 struggles of so large a creature, bat the very violence of its 

 exertions seemed to increase its danger, by pressii=tg from beloMr 

 such a quantity of liquid, that it was almost drowning in honey. 

 The best way of getting at the secret nectary of the iris is not 

 by the flower, but by cutting the stem where it is marked for 

 the beginning of the seed-vessel, as that points out also the ter- 

 mination of the nectary. 



The two nectaries in all the diadelphian class are most admi- 

 rably managed. To look at the exterior of the flower it would 

 appear almost impossible to find room sufBcient for one, and yet 

 all those flowers possess a very perfect double nectarium, with 

 all the various vessels its different offices require : a deep trough 

 "within the cylinder of the males is filled even to half the height 

 of the filaments with this precious juice ; and that the bees also 

 may have their share, there is a nectarious ball on each side, on 

 which the banner is fastened, thus serving a double purpose. 

 As the insects draw the honey forth, it is tonstantly replenished 

 from the trough below ; and the exquisite beauty of the con- 

 trivance is completed by its not only being ready for supplying 

 the stigma, shoald the weather be unfavourable to the ripening 

 of the pollen (as in this case it loses much of the nectarious 

 juices by evaporation) ; but it is also all that time feeding the 

 embryo in the seeds ; which have innumerable vessels running 

 through the pod, and most plainly to be perceived in the solar 

 microscope, to imbibe this juice for the nourishment of the 

 young plant j but np sooner does the cylinder of the stamen 

 decay and fall off, and the pods increase, than the skin thickens, 

 the vessels disappear, and the embryo no longer receives nou- 

 rishment except from the stalk, and its own nourishing vessels. 



In the didynamian plants, and in all those flowers which have 

 uncovered seeds, the nectarious juice is secreted in a box in 

 the large part which lies directly under the seeds ; while the 

 open nectary is either found at each corner, or opposite to the 

 seeds. In giving the exact picture of the flower of the peach, 

 in the Journal of July last, dissected in three different ways, I 

 left a square at the bottom of the seed-vessel not allotted to any 

 2 use : 



