LILIACEAE 473 



916. Merendera Ram. 



Honiogamous flowers with concealed nectar, secreted near the base of the 

 outer side of the epiphyllous filaments, and collected at the bottom of a cleft 

 situated on every perianth leaf. 



2826. Merendera Bulbocodium Ram. (MacLeod, Bot. Jaarb. Dodonaea, 

 Ghent, iii, 1891, pp. 298-301.) — The flowers of this species are pale-pink in colour, 

 with very long claws to the perianth leaves; the relative position of anthers and 

 stigmas changes. At first the stigmas are situated above the extrorse anthers, so 

 that automatic self-pollination is excluded. The anthers are then raised to the 

 level of the stigma by subsequent elongation of the perianth leaves, and at the 

 same time turn somewhat inwards, enabling autogamy to take place. 



Visitors. — MacLeod (Pyrenees) observed 2 humble-bees, a lepidopterid, and 

 a fly. 



917. Veratrum L. 



Protandrous flowers with exposed nectar, which is much sought by flies 

 (muscids). It is secreted by the thickened bases of the perianth leaves. Sometimes 

 andromonoecism to androdioecism. 



2827. V. album L. (Herm. Miiller, ' Alpenblumen,' pp. 41-3; Schulz, 

 'Beitrage'; Knuth, ' Bloemenbiol. Bijdragen.') — The flowers of this species are 

 of a dull dirty-yellow colour. In the Alps protandrous hermaphrodite flowers 

 occur. There are six stamens, the anthers of the three outer first and then 

 those of the three inner ones dehiscing outwardly and downwardly, so that the 

 heads and backs of nectar-seeking insects are dusted with pollen. The stamens 

 then become vertical, and the three styles bend their mature stigmas outwards and 

 downwards, so that the pollen-covered visitors must brush against and dust them. 



Besides the hermaphrodite flowers, andromonoeciously and androdioeciously 

 distributed male ones occur. Schulz says that the variety (b) lobelianum Bern, 

 possesses the same flower mechanism as the main type in the Alps, but it is 

 sometimes homogamous also. Automatic self-pollination then takes place in 

 consequence of the vertical position of the flowers. 



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

 stated. — 



Herm. Miiller, 4 beetles, 13 Muscids, an ant, an ichneumonid, and 5 Lepido- 

 ptera ; but no bees nor hover-flies. Knuth (Kiel Botanic Garden), the Muscid 

 Musca corvina F. Schletterer and von Dalla Torre (Tyrol), the humble-bee 

 Bombus hortorum Z. 



2828. V. nigrum L. — 



Visitors. — Plateau (Ghent Botanic Garden) saw 3 Muscids — i. Musca domestica 

 Z.: 2. Lucilia caesarZ.; 3. Calliphora vomitoria Z. 



918. Tofieldia Huds. 



Protogynous or homogamous yellowish flowers, with half-concealed nectar secreted 

 at the bases of the three furrows between the carpels. 



