ORCHIDACE^ 407 



Ophrys 



This genus resembles Orchis, but has no spur. We 

 have three species. 0. apifera resembles a bee in form, 

 and generally has more or less pink sepals ; while in 

 0. aranifera they are green. 0. muscifera has small, 

 narrow, very dark flowers resembling a fly. 



0. muscifera. — The lip is long and dark purple, and 

 when the flower is just open secretes minute drops of 

 nectar, becoming gradually covered by a thin layer, which, 

 however, soon disappears. At each side of the base 

 there are also two spots with a bright metallic lustre, 

 which closely resemble drops of nectar, and are supposed 

 by Sprengel and some observers to deceive flies and 

 other small insects. Darwin observes that if he " could 

 in any case believe in Sprengel's ' sham nectaries,' I 

 should believe it in this instance." ^ I myself do so. 

 The visits of insects are, however, very few. The plant 

 is sometimes abundant in my woods, but I have never 

 seen an insect visiting them. In one case there were a 

 group of over a hundred all within five yards of one 

 another, and I watched them for an hour in the middle 

 of a bright summer's day, but not a single insect came. 

 It is certain, however, that they are visited by insects. 

 Darwin found that out of 207 flowers which he ex- 

 amined, 88 had had one or both of their poUinia 

 removed. Moreover, the plant is not self-fertile, and the 

 result is that but few flowers set seeds. 



0. apifera (Bee Orchis, Fig. 333). — This species is so 

 named from its curious likeness to a humble bee. Eobert 

 Brown first observed that the Bee Orchis is adapted for 

 self-fertilisation.^ The stalks of the pollen masses are 

 long, thin, flexible, and too weak to stand upright. 

 The distance of the pollen masses from one another, and 

 the shape of the pollen grains is, moreover, variable. 

 The anther cells open soon after the flower expands, and 

 the pear-shaped pollen masses drop out, so as to hang 

 directly over the stigma, with which a breath of air is 



^ Fertilisation of Orchids. ^ Trans. Linn. Soc, xvi. (1833). 



