Chap VI. COEYANTHES. 173 



Fritz Miiller, * the ovules of many endemic Epidendrese 

 and Vandeas in Brazil remain in a very imperfect state 

 of development for some months, and even in one case 

 for half a year, after the flowers had been fertilised. 

 He suggests that a plant which produces hundreds of 

 thousands of ovules, would waste much power if these 

 were formed and did not happen to be fertilised, and 

 we know that fertilisation is a doubtful and difficult 

 operation with many Orchids. It would therefore be 

 an advantage to such plants, if the ovules were not at 

 all developed until their fertilisation was assured by 

 the pollen-tubes having already penetrated the stigma. 



Coryanthes. — I will conclude this chapter by giving 

 an account of the fertilisation of the flowers of Cory- 

 anthes, which is efiected in a manner that might perhaps 

 have been inferred from their structure, but would have 

 appeared utterly incredible had it not been repeatedly 

 witnessed by a careful observer, namely, the late Dr. 

 Cruger, Director of the Botanical Gardens at Trinidad. 

 The flowers are very large and hang downwards. The 

 distal portion of the labellum (L) in the following wood- 

 cut, fig. 27, is converted into a large bucket (B). Two 

 appendages (H), arising from the narrowed base of the 

 labellum, stand directly over the bucket and secrete so 

 much fluid that drops may be seen falling into it. 

 This fluid is limpid and so slightly sweet that it does 

 not deserve to be called nectar, though evidently of the 

 same nature ; nor does it serve to attract insects. M. 

 Meniere estimates that the total quantity secreted by 

 a single flower is about an English ounce, t When 

 the bucket is full the fluid overflows by the spout (P). 



• ' Bot. Zeitung,' 1868, p. 164. 



t ' Bulletin de la Soo. Bot. de France,' torn. li. 1855, p. 351. 



