47 

 Flowers very commonly polygamous or dio- 

 ecious, flowers greenish, inconspicuous, but 

 very fragrant ovary with an adnate fleshy disk of five nectar 

 glands which secrete the nectar. This bears the petals and 

 stamens, calyx short The stamens held by the petals which 

 separate only at base, which forms a kind of a head, when 

 mature the stamens are released, thus allowing the poller 

 to be thrown on the insect. 



PIG. 20. 

 FIG. 20. A, Flower before the removal of petals a. B, After removal of 

 petals, b, o stamens which have dehisced, d just in the act of dehiscence. 



Leguminosae. 



Many of the legumes are excellently adapted 

 for insects. In the Papilionaceae the flowers 

 are irregular and with some exceptions expose the stigma 

 and pollen to contact with the ventral surface of the insect. 

 Tfc|e two lower petals are united to form the keel and enclose 

 the reproductive bodies. The wings serve as a resting place 

 for insects, to depress the keel, keep it in place and bring it 

 back to its place after depression. The manner in which 

 the keel returns to its place varies in different species. 

 Most of the Leguminosae are insect pollinated, though some. 



