Medicago Plowers Tripping Historical Resume' 



(Bota.nlsche Zeitung Jahrg. 25 (1867) Von P. H. Hildetrand 

 P 283.) 



In 1867 Hilde'brand discusses the results of Delpino's 



study of the blossoms of different species of Medicago. 



Delpino described the alfalfa flower and its tripping 



meclianism but evidently made no important addition to what 



was already known on this subject- 



Medicago Plowers Tripping Historical Resume' 



Dr. I. Urban; A/'erhandlung des botanischen Veresns 

 der Provinz Brandenburg: 1872, p. 13ff. 



Urban states that the peculiarity which the Medi- 

 cago species show in their pollination, namely that the 

 stamen is propelled out of the keel toward the standard 

 when the keel is pressed on, or a needle inserted, was 

 known in the time of Linneaeus, but its significance was 

 not understood. De Candolle believes that this movement 

 of the individual parts of the flower is for the purpose 

 of bringing about direct self fertilization. 



""V/hen the corolla barely reaches above the calyx 

 teeth a decided tension develops in the side of the stamen 

 tube that is turned towards the keel," 



"Before pollination the standard lies close to the 

 v/ing, so that it leaves only a narrow channel open which 

 leads somewhat obliquely to the nectar chambers between 

 the points on the wing just mentioned. These nectar 

 cliambers lie at the base pf the stamen tube on the inner 



(63) 



