CYPRIPEDIUM ACAULE.—STEMLESS MOCCASIN FLOWER. 63 
In some plants the floral arrangements are such that the flower 
cannot receive its own pollen, and it seems to some botanists 
that this is in accord with a pre-arranged plan to compel the use 
only of pollen brought from other flowers by insect aid. In this 
study Cypripedium has taken a prominent part, Dr. Gray, in 
“ Silliman’s Journal” for 1867, deciding after a careful examina- 
tion of the structure “in all the species, it is impossible that fertil- 
ization should be effected without extraneous aid.” Our present 
species, C. acaule, is one that was the especial object of Dr. 
Gray’s examination. He shows that its pollen is very sticky, 
and is carried away either bodily or piece-meal on the heads or 
other parts of insects. He describes how they enter the flower 
by one lateral opening in search of sweets with the pollen on 
their heads rubbing against the stigma, and escaping by the hole 
on the other side! Dr. Gray says he has not detected insects 
actually at work in this way, but he gathers from their traces and 
from a variety of facts that, “even in Cypripedium acaule, the 
insects act in the manner described.” ‘The study of these singu- 
lar arrangements, some connected especially with the plant we 
have illustrated here, led him to say, “ Hereafter teleology must 
go hand-in-hand with morphology; functions must be studied as 
well as forms, and useful ends presumed, whether ascertained or 
not, in every permanent modification of every structure.” 
It is remarkable that the attempts to cultivate this plant, 
extending over the past one hundred years, have met with little 
success. According to Aiton, the plant was first introduced into 
English gardens in a living state “about 1775 by William Ham- 
ilton, Esq.,” and this is generally followed by chronologists. 
But we find by Darlington’s “Memorials” that in a letter to 
Peter Collinson dated November, 1761, John Bartram writes of 
having sent roots of it to his friend. From that time till now 
the stock in Europe has been kept up mainly by importation of 
full grown roots from our land. Mr. Robinson, in his interesting 
“Alpine Flowers,” gives minute directions for its successful cul- 
ture, but concludes: “It may be propagated by division, but the 
