372 



ANGIOSPERMAE—DICOTYLEDONES 



2549. P. judaica L. (= P. diffusa Mert. et Koch, and P. ramiflora MoencK). 



(Hildebrand, ' D. Geschlechts-Vert. b. d. Pfl.,' 

 pp. 18-19.) — In this species the brush-like 

 stigmas protrude from the bud while the 

 perianth is still closed, and are shrivelled 

 before this opens and the anthers dehisce. 

 Self-pollination is therefore excluded, and 

 crossing with separate stocks always takes 

 place. 



2550. P. officinalis L. (= P. erecta 

 Meri. et Koch). (Kirchner, ' Beitrage,' p. 1 2.) 

 — The flower mechanism of this species is 

 the same as that of the preceding one. Some 

 stigmas are red, others white. Warnstorf 

 describes the pollen-grains as very small, 

 white in colour, rounded tetrahedral, 15-18 /x 

 in diameter. 



Visitors. — Redtenbacher observed the 



Fig. 362. Parietaria judaica^ L. (after 

 Hildebrand). c, Hermaphrodite flower, just 

 before opening; the stigma is already mature. 



d. The same shortly after opening ; the stigma 

 has fallen off, but the anthers are still closed. 



e, Flower with dehisced anthers. 



Eucnemid beetle Throscus elateroides Heer. 



790. Pilea Lindl. 



2551. p. muscosa Lindl. (=P. microphylla Liebm). — This species is indi- 

 genous to tropical America ; its flower-buds explode, scattering the pollen into the 

 air in small clouds (Kerner, 'Nat. Hist. Pl.,'Eng. Ed. i, II, p. 137). 



791. Ficus Tourn. 



Dioecious, more rarely monoecious plants, bearing small flowers enclosed in 

 a rounded to pear-shaped fleshy common receptacle closed above (hypanthodium). 



2552. F. Carica L. (Linnaeus, ' Amoenitates,' I, p. 41, 1774; St. Laurent, 

 ' Caprificazione,' 1752 ; Riville, ' M^m. sur la caprification,' 1755; Cavolini, ' Memoria,' 

 1782 ; Gallesio, 'Pomona italiana,' 1817 ; H. Low, ' Caprifikation,' 1843; Semmola^ 

 'Delia caprificazione,' 1845; Gasparrini, Rend. Ace. sc, Napoli, iv, 1845, vii, 1848 ; 

 Leclerc, ' De la caprification, &c.,' 1858 ; Delpino, ' Note critiche,' pp. 21-2, 1867 ; 

 Solms-Laubach, ' D. Herkunft &c. d. gewohn. Feigenbaumes,' 1882; Hemsley, 

 'Fig and Caprifig,' 1883 ; Kerner, 'Nat. Hist. PI.,' Eng. Ed. i, II, pp. 157, 161, 

 540.) — Linnaeus refers to the fact that a special ' messenger of love ' (cupido) is 

 necessary for the fertilization of the fig, to transfer the pollen to the female 

 inflorescence ; this was known to the ancients, who named the insect ' psen ' or 

 ' fig-wasp.' Kemer's account of the process of fertilization by this fig-wasp has 

 already been given in Vol. I of this work (p. 104). 



2553. F. Sycomorus L. (= Sycomorus antiquorum Gasp). (Paul Mayer, 

 ' Feigeninsekten.') — This species is also fertilized by means of a small gall-wasp 

 (Sycophaga sycomori Z.) [Hasselquist] in the same way as the fig by Blastophaga 

 srossorum Grav. 



