244 Introduction to Botany. 



often done us good service, it is to be hoped that they will 

 not desert us in this extremity also. The end of the style 

 is bent in such a way that it makes a somewhat sharp 

 angle with the style, but its base is somewhat crooked 

 and much more slender than the rest. On this account 

 it is very easily lifted up ; but as soon as released it falls 

 back into its accustomed position. Now when a bee 

 crawls upon the upper petal and sticks its head into the 

 rather large space between the stigma and lowest petal, 

 in order to thrust its proboscis into the nectar receptacle, 

 it lifts with its head the style, and with it the append- 

 age of the upper anther. In this way an opening is 

 made in the funnel, through which the pollen falls out. 

 Thus the bee becomes dusted with the pollen and neces- 

 sarily transfers a part of it to the stigma, and in this way 

 the pistil becomes fertilized. After it has consumed the 

 nectar the bee crawls back again, and then the style falls 

 back into its accustomed place, and likewise gradually the 

 appendage of the upper filament. Thus the opening of the 

 funnel gradually closes, although not so tight and snug as 

 before the visit, probably because fertilization necessarily 

 follows from the first visit. 



"This method of pollination of this flower discovered 

 and described by me enables the reader to answer 

 various questions relating to the structure of the flower 

 which he would otherwise have to leave unanswered. The 

 easier questions that come up in regard to the structure of 

 other nectariferous flowers I will not touch upon, for 

 example : Why the flower secretes nectar, why it has a 

 colored corolla, why it has dark hues upon a light back- 

 ground, why it is possessed of an agreeable odor, why the 

 nectar is so well protected against the rain. But I will 

 bring forward the following : Why does the flower grow 



