442 



ANCIOSPERMAE—MONOCOTYLEDONES 



874. Lilium Tourn. 



Homogamous or feebly protandrous or protogynous lepidopterid flowers, 

 secreting nectar in a furrow at the base of each perianth leaf. 



2722. L. Martagon L. (Sprengel, 'Entd. Geh.,' pp. 187-9; Delpino, ' Ult. 

 OSS.,' II, pp. 283-4 ; Herm. Miiller, ' Alpenblumen,' pp. 47-8, Nature, London, xii, 

 1875, pp. 50-1, Kosmos, Leipzig, iii, 1878, ' Weit. Beob.,' I, pp. 275-7; ^- ^""^ 

 C. Dodel-Port, ' Anatomisch-physiol. Atlas d. Botanik'; Kerner, 'Nat. Hist. PI.,' 

 Eng. Ed. I, II, p. 311; Knuth, ' Bloemenbiol. Bijdragen.') — The nodding flowers 

 of this species are chiefly adapted for pollination by moths, and in a less degree by 

 butterflies. They are homogamous, or, according to Kerner, incompletely proto- 

 gynous. During the day they are only feebly fragrant, and butterflies are attracted 

 by the dirty-bright-purple perianth, marked with darker purple spots, very occasionall)' 

 merged into one another ; moths are, however, attracted by the odour of nectar, 

 which becomes much stronger in the evening. 



At the base of each peri- 

 anth leaf there is a nectar-groove 

 10-15 mm. long, which closes 

 up by the folding together of its 

 edges and a thick growth of red- 

 dish hairs, into a narrow, nectar- 

 filled tube. At the outer end 

 there is an opening one mm. in 

 diameter. 



When nocturnal hawk-moths 

 searching for nectar alight on the 

 flower, they first touch with the 

 under-side of their bodies the 

 stigma projecting a little beyond 

 the anthers and then the pol- 

 len-covered anthers themselves. 

 These are, as in Lonicera Periclymenum, only united at one point with the filaments, 

 and therefore swing freely when touched by the legs of the lepidopterid sucking nectar 

 without alighting on the flower, and dust the lower-side of its body with fresh pollen. 

 Butterfly visitors are less successful cross-pollinators, as, according to Hermann 

 Miiller's observations in the Alps, they creep round on the flower and settle to suck 

 nectar. They only effect crossing occasionally. 



Should insect-visits fail, automatic self-pollination may take place by fall ot 

 pollen. Kerner says that this happens towards the end of anthesis by the bending 

 of the style until the stigma comes into contact with one or two anthers ; such 

 crossing, however, does not take place if cross-pollination has already been effected. 

 This autogamy is effective, as was already realized by Sprengel. Warnstorf describes 

 the pollen-grains as red-brown in colour, biscuit-shaped, with a furrow and a net- 

 work of ridges; 31 /j. broad and 100 long. 



Visitors. — The following were recorded by the observers, and for the localities 

 stated. — 



Fig. 394- Z.;Vmwz jWtir/fl^(77;, jL. (after Herm. Miiller). A. 

 I..ateral view of a flower of the natural size and in the natural 

 position. B. A single perianth leaf (x 2). a, anthers; «, 



nectary ; .?/, stigma. 



