268 



ANGIOSPERMAE—DICOTYLEDONES 



710. Thymus Toum. 



Species of this genus may be trioecious, but otherwise agree with those of 

 Origanum. 



2280. T. Serpyllxun L. (Sprengel, 'Entd. Geh.,' p. 311; Hildebrand, 

 ' D. Geschlechts-Vert. b. d. Pfl.,' p. 26; Herm. Muller, 'Fertilisation,' pp. 472-5, 

 ' Wait. Beob.,' Ill, pp. 56-7, ' Alpenblumen,' p. 322 ; Warming, ' Bestovningsmaade,' 

 pp. 10-13; Knuth, 'Bliitenbiol. Beob. a. d. Ins. Riigen,' 'Bl. u. Insekt. a. d. nordfr. 

 Ins.,' pp. 117, 165, 'Weit. Beob. ii. Bl. u. Insekt. a. d. nordfr. Ins.,' p. 234 ; Kirchner, 

 'Flora V. Stuttgart,' p. 612.) — Besides protandrous hermaphrodite flowers there are 

 smaller female ones in this species; male flowers, however, are rare. The bright 

 purple, rarely white blossoms are very fragrant, and the nectar (according to Hermann 

 Wiiller) is of a spicy flavour. The capitate inflorescences are often so close together 

 that they form (e. g. in the North Frisian Islands) large violet cushions on the moor- 



FlG. 331. Thymus, L. (after Herm. Muller). (i)-(3> T. Serpyllmk, L. 



(i) Hermaphrodite flower in the first (male) stape. (2) Do., in the second (female) 



stage. (3) Female flower. (4)-(6) 7' vulgaris^ L. (4) Female flower. 



(5) Pistil of a hermaphrodite flower in the first stage. (6) Do-, in the second stage, 

 a, vestigial anther ; w, nectary ; ov, ovary (x 7). 



land and beside its paths. This renders them extremely conspicuous, and ihey are 

 therefore much visited by insects. The flower mechanism is essentially the same as 

 that of Origanum vulgare. The stamens and style project freely from the corolla ; 

 in hermaphrodite flowers the stamens generally project beyond the style, which, how- 

 ever, elongates later on, and stigmatic branches diverge as soon as they are above the 

 anthers. Automatic self-polhnation is therefore impossible. 



Hitherto only female and hermaphrodite flowers on different stocks have been 

 observed in Germany. Delpino found the species to be trioecious near Florence. 

 In England Ogle observed transitions to purely male flowers, in addition to the 



