135 



Autogamy and Alpine Plants- Loew, in his "Blue- 

 tenbiologische Floiistik,'' has collected statistics of the obser- 

 vations made upon flowers with reference to insect visitors aud 

 autogamy', from which it appears that self-fertilized plants 

 are more numerous among alpine species than among those 

 of a lower level. Observations are not at hand to indicate 

 whether the same state of affairs exist in this country, but I 

 am inclined to doubt that this is true for Rocky Mountain 

 species. Kerner accounts for autogamous flowers in these 

 regions because of the shortness of the season and the broken 

 condition of the weather. While the climate above timber 

 line in the Rocky Mountains is rigorous and at times un- 

 favorable, the mornings are usually bright and sunny. A 

 few hours spent in collecting the insect fauna on such alpine 

 plants as Mertennia, Primula, Omphalodes, Silene, 

 Actinella, Trifolium and Astragalus leaves some doubt 

 ia my mind in regard to autogamy. 



Autogamy in Grasses- Hackel says in regard to 

 barley: " Cross-fertilization is much more rare and difficult 

 in barley, and in certain races like the six^ranked, the short- 

 spiked, two ranked and the peacock barley. The flowers, 

 especially in our climate, never open and consequently cross- 

 fertilization is made impossible." 



Two of our native grasses {Leersia oryzoides and Am- 

 phicarpum Purshil) produce cliestogamous as well as the 

 ordinary flowers. The closed flowers are abundantly fertile, 

 while the others are not. Meehan says:^* "All plants that 

 are arranged for self-pollination are abundantly fertile and 

 have a great advantage of numbers in the struggle for life. 



18 Proceedings Academy of Natural Sciences, Aug. 26, 1890. See p. 271. Also 

 May 26, 1890, Proceedings American Association fo^ the Advancement of 

 Science, Detroit meeting, etc. 



