No. 411.] NORTHERN APETALOUS FLOWERS. 209 
and Andrena. The honey is abundant. In winter the flowers 
fertilize themselves. The white petals in these genera may in 
part be due to the non-formation of chlorophyll, and in part to 
the selective influence of the visitors in choosing the more con- 
spicuous flowers. Insects have also probably aided in the preser- 
vation of the petals, for in certain species of Alsine and Sagina 
they are sometimes present and in other instances are wanting. 
The pinks proper, or Silenez, exhibit a wonderful variety of 
red shades, varying from white, through rose, pink, and deep 
red, to scarlet and crimson. The petals may be dotted or 
marbled with white, with a white center, surrounded with a 
purple ring, as in Dianthus deltoides. The corolla is often 
notched or ‘fringed and surmounted by a corona of scales. 
The perfume is aromatic, and the honey is deeply concealed. 
The red flowers are very attractive to butterflies, which are the 
chief visitors, while the white species are adapted to night- 
flying Lepidoptera. The following table, prepared from Miiller’s 
Alpenblumen and Knuth's Handbuch der Blütenbiologie, shows 
the importance of butterflies as fertilizers of red flowers. 
VISITORS TO RED-FLOWERED SPECIES. 
By | | 
E Xon | 
2 : i Eo 
P E á B | er 
S8 = E d | f 
3 D " 5 A l F 
BS E E: A E | g 3 
i E a z 
a a S15 
SE ea z m a O = 
Mee aedulis o. e 10 19 4 4 3 a 
Lychnis fos Jovis . . . 10 3 I 4 
OUR HNNE. 1 o 10-13 II 1 I 13 
Saponaria ocymoides . . | 10-12 | 28 $ 3 ai 38 
Dianthus sylvestris. . . | 18-25 I I 
pric 
= 1 
_D. atrorubens ; 13-15 4 5 
D. deltoides i. 12-14 9 2 II 
D. carthusianorum . . . 12 9 6 3 
The carmine flowers of Silene acaulis, which grows in 
the higher Alps, are so frequently visited by butterflies that 
the power of self-fertilization has been nearly lost. Both the 
species of Lychnis have bright red, beautiful flowers and 
