448 



ANGIOSPERMAE—MONOCOTYLEDONES 



Visitors. — Hildebrand (Ber. D. bot. Ges., Berlin, x, 1892), in the Freiburg i. B. 

 Botanic Garden, observed the honey-bee, skg. ; it may therefore be concluded that in 

 its native country the plant is pollinated by bees. 



2735. E. altaicus Pall.; 2736. E. caucasicus Stev. (=E. spectabilis Bieb., 

 according to the Index Kewensis) ; and 2737. E. tauricus Stev. — Dammer saw the 

 first of these species pollinated by Syrphus pyrastri L. (Flora, Regensburg and 

 Marburg, Ixxi, 1888). Kemer says that in all three species (' Nat. Hist. PI., 

 Eng. Ed. I, II, p. 327) the perianth leaves roll up as soon as the anthers dehisce, 

 fade, and form a dirty red-brown crumpled mass, from which the juicy midribs 

 at the backs of the leaves project as six thick, greenish swellings. These resemble 

 aphides in appearance, and a hover-fly, Syrphus pyrastri Z., seems to take them 

 for such, for it pounces upon the curled-up flowers in exactly the same way as it 

 attacks such insects. In doing so it becomes covered with pollen from the anthers 

 situated in front of the flower, and transfers it to the stigmas of others. Kemer 

 (op. cit., II, p. 326) adds that in the case of E. caucasicus geitonogamy sometimes 

 takes place, for the stigmas situated at the tip of the elongating style may come 



into contact with the pollen-covered an- 

 thers of flowers situated higher on the 

 inflorescence; many, however, do not attain 

 such contact and, as insect-pollination is 

 rare, but few fruits are set. In order to give 

 pollination the best possible chance, the 

 stigmas are extremely persistent, remaining 

 receptive from the moment the flower opens 

 until long after the fading of the anthers 

 and the curling up of the perianth leaves. 



880, Paradisea Mazzin. 



Moth flowers, with nectar secreted 

 by the ovary. 



2738. P.LiliastrumBertol. (Herm. 

 MLiller, ' Alpenblumen,' pp. 48-50 ; Ker- 

 ner, 'Nat. Hist. PI.,' Eng. Ed. i, II, p. 301.) 

 — In the snow-white flowers of this species 

 the stigma projects beyond the anthers, 

 so that insects on alighting touch it first, 

 and so effect crossing. 



Visitors. — Herm. Miiller observed 

 the moth Plusia gamma Z., also, as un- 

 bidden guests, a bee, a saw-fly, a Muscid, 

 and 2 beetles. 



Fig. 3Q9. Paradisea Liliastrum, Bertol. (after 

 Herm. Muller). A. Flower after removal of the 

 right half of the perianth ; seen from the right side 

 (natural size). B, Transverse section through the 

 lower part of a flower, at the level of the ovarj'. 

 a, anterior stamen (in section); Ar, bract ; of, ovary; 

 /, petals ; j, sepals ; st^ stigma ; jtr, probable nectaries. 



881. Anthericum L. 



White flowers with exposed nectar, secreted by the upper part of the ovary. 

 Kenier ('Nat. Hist. PI.,' Eng. Ed. i, II, p. 304) says that in Phalangium Juss. 



