COLOUKS OF FLOWERS AS A JIEAXS OF ATTEACTIXG AXIMALS. 



189 





trophies bj" buildei-s to celebrate the completion of a certain stage of their work 

 (0/ fig. 252*). 



The plants which have hitherto been selected to illustrate the signiiicance of 

 colour in iiowei-s, whether in the blossoms themselves or in theii- bracts, exhibit 

 only one tone of colour in contrast 

 with the foliage green : that is to say, 

 the entire tlower. the whole inflores- 

 oeuce. or the complete group of bracts 

 appeai-s from a little distance as 

 simply white, yellow, red. violet, or 

 blue, and stands out conspicuously 

 from the environment on account of 

 one of these colours. It often hap- 

 pens, however, that the colour-con- 

 trast is obtained by the development 

 of several colours in the flowers. In 

 the blossoms of many Willow-herbs 

 (<^.g. E}rilohin.m hir&utum and man- 

 tamim), the white ci-oss formed by 

 the stigmas appiears on a red field; 

 iu tiie Herb Paris {Paris quadri- 

 foJia) the bright yellow anthers 

 encircle the largv, dark- violet ovaries. 

 In the centre of the flowei-s of the 

 Borage (Boivigo omdnalis^ a black 

 cone of anthers rises from a blue star, 

 and a yellow cone of anthers on a 

 \-iolet star in the Bitter-sweet (^^o?(7- 

 num Duicamam) and in the Potato. 

 In the liowers of the Pheasants-eye 

 [Adonis dammea, LTst{i\ilis, autum- 

 nal is), the numerous black anthers 

 form a dark centre on a red ground, 

 and an orange centre on a blue ground 

 in the Jacob's Ladder (PoleTnonium 



mruleum), whilst in the flowers of the Hepatica {Anemone Hepatica) a white 

 oeatr^ is seen on a blue ground, and in the flowers of many Mulleins {Verbascum 

 ii>t?:riacum, niffrum) occvir stamens with violet hairs which contrast with the 

 light yellow coroUa «aid orange anthexs. The dark violet petals of Saxi/mga 

 bijlora snrrotmd a centre of golden-yellow, and in the Ice-plant {Mesc/nhi-y- 

 aiUhemum crystal! innm\ so common at the Cape, the yellow centre formed by 

 the crowded anthers is sui-rounded by a large ntimber of narrow, radiating, red 

 petals. 



Hg. fM. — Coloup.«»ntra5t id the Bowers of the Bean (Htia Fa6fl> 

 The wings (als) ci tlie white papilionaceous corolla are 

 ornamented wiai lai^ black eye^spots. 



