No. 390.] MONOCOTYLEDONOUS FLOWERS. 497 
philous and proterogynous, though self-fertilization of open 
flowers and cleistogamy occur. Several European species have 
rather conspicuous flowers and attract insect visits. 
The Melanthacez have regular, perfect, and, for the most 
part, small flowers in panicles and racemes. Many of the 
species grow in woodlands and swamps, secrete nectar in 
readily accessible positions, and are visited by Diptera, as in 
Tofieldia and Veratrum. The flowers exhibit but little bright 
coloring and are chiefly greenish-white or greenish-yellow; in 
Zygadenus and Melanthium there are green, greenish-yellow, 
and greenish-white species; in Veratrum yellowish-green and 
purplish. Yellow, white, and purple appear to have been 
developed directly from the primitive green without passing 
through any intermediate stage. There is a complete absence 
of red and blue and of variegation. The primitive color of this 
family and the two succeeding was undoubtedly green, resem- 
bling the wind-fertilized Juncaceze, with which they are closely 
allied in structure. 
The Liliaceze have attained a much higher stage of colora- 
tion than the Melanthacez, and the inflorescence exhibits the 
most brilliant and variegated hues. The flowers are solitary 
or clustered, very large and conspicuous, and, in some instances, 
adapted to the visits of a single species of insect. They are 
very remarkable for their range of color and, long since, com- 
pelled botanists to lay aside the cyanic and xanthic speculations 
of de Candolle. The hyacinth displays every shade of yellow, 
white, red, and blue, and Darwin gives several instances of red 
and blue flowers produced on the same truss ; the tulip exhibits 
yellow, white, red, and purple-violet; and many other genera 
are almost equally polychromatic. The 9 species of Allium 
are green, white, and rose, the development of coloring having 
proceeded in this order. The honey is abundant and is more 
accessible in the green and white species than in the rose; the 
inflorescence is umbelloid, and the guests are bees, Lepidoptera, 
and flies. Florists also offer bright yellow and blue forms. 
About 45 species of the genus Lilium are known, many of 
which are adapted to diurnal and nocturnal Lepidoptera. The 
entire genus is justly admired for the beauty of its flowers. 
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