LILIACEAE 457 



a close tangle of pollen-covered anthers is situated there, which is touched by that 

 part of the body of an insect probing for nectar with which it brushes against the 

 stigma of a flower in the first stage. Insect-visits therefore ensure crossing. Finally, 

 in the third stage, the peduncle curves downwards so that the flower lies on the earth 

 and automatic self-pollination becomes possible by fall of pollen, or by means of 

 such grains as lie on the perianth leaves. 



2777. A. vineale L. (Knuth, 'Bl. u. Insekt. a. d. nordfr. Ins.,' pp. 143-4, 

 167 ; Warnstorf, Verh. bot. Ver., Berlin, xxxviii, 1896.) — Plants of this species bear 

 almost spherical inflorescences 2^ cm. in diameter, on scapes about ^ m. high, 

 composed of numerous dark-violet protandrous flowers mixed with bulbils. The 

 acutely ovoid flower is closed by the inwardly inclining perianth leaves, and is 5 mm. 

 long and 3 mm. wide at its broadest part. In the first (male) stage the filaments, 

 with transverse anthers, project about 3 mm. from the flower, while the style, with 

 still immature stigma, is concealed. After the exserted parts of the filaments have 

 faded, and the completely emptied anthers have withdrawn into the perianth, the 

 stigma on the elongating style projects, so that it is finally situated 3 mm. above the 

 flower. Nectar is found at the base of the ovary in both stages, collected in a little 

 pocket at the bottom of the perianth leaves. Warnstorf describes the pollen-grains 

 as bluish-white in colour, delicately tuberculate, ellipsoidal, about 44 ^ long and 

 23 |t broad. 



Visitors. — Knuth observed 2 humble-bees, skg. (Bombus lapidarius Z., and 

 B. pratorum Z.) : also Muscids, which did not go to the nectar, but crept about 

 testing different parts of the flower, and occasionally transferred pollen. 



2778. A. oleraceum L. (Schulz, ' Beitrage,' I, p. 98 ; Warnstorf, Verh. bot. 

 Ver., Berhn, xxxviii, 1896.) — The flowers of this species are at first greenish-white 

 in colour, but during anthesis they become dark-pink. Like those of the other 

 species of the genus they are protandrous. They possess six stamens, the anthers 

 of the inner ones dehiscing first ; their filaments elongate a little, and the anthers 

 project beyond the edge of the flower-bell ; then those of the outer whorl mature 

 in succession. At this time the style is still short and the sligmatic papillae still 

 immature, the former only reaching its full length after 8-10 days, during which 

 time the flowers remain uninterruptedly open (Warnstorf). The pollen-grains are 

 white in colour, ellipsoidal, very delicately tuberculate, about 56 ft. long and 

 25 /x broad. 



2779. A. carinatum L. (Sprengel, 'Entd. Geh.,' pp. 183-6.) — Sprengel 

 recognized this species as protandrous. He observed the honey-bee as a 

 visitor. 



2780. A. Schoenoprasum L., var. {b) sibiiicum Willd. (Sprengel, op. cit., 

 p. 185; Schulz, 'Beitrage,' I, p. 98; Axell, 'Om Anord. for Fanerog. Vaxt. Befrukt.,' 

 p. 35 ; Ricca, Atti Soc. ital. sc. nat., Milano, xiv, 1871.) — The flowers of this species 

 possess an odour of nectar, and are feebly protandrous in the Riesengebirge, 

 automatic self-pollination being therefore possible, as they close at night. 



Ricca found the variety (c) alpinum to be protandrous, and visited by 

 numerous small Lepidoptera of the genus Crambus, even at an elevation of 2000 

 metres. 



