THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



21 



nauseating. The writer has not found it very noticeable in 

 any way. The insects attracted to the flower, and guided by 

 the colored throat of the corolla, swarm into the corolla tube 

 where they encounter a zone of stiff hairs pointing inward. 

 These act as a sort of trap. It is easy enough for the insects 

 to push further into the flower, but when they attempt to 

 return, the zone of hairs bars the way. The insects are thus 

 kept prisoners, often for several days. The flower provides 

 for its guests, however, and they are said to exhibit no desire 

 to escape. When the flower first blooms, the stamens are 

 immature but the stigma is receptive. If the visiting insects 

 have come from another flower, pollination is soon effected. 

 The insects are not released, however, until the stamens have 

 ripened. When this occurs the visitors are showered with 

 pollen and immediately thereafter the zone of hairs withers 

 and they escape to visit some other flower and repeat the 

 process. 



The family to which the pelican plant belongs is known 

 as the Aristolochiaceae and contains nearly two hundred 

 species. The climbing species mostly belong to the genus 

 Aristolochia while the ground-loving forms are found in the 

 genus Asarum. The majority are found in the warmer parts 

 of the world and are especially abundant in Central and South 

 America. The species under discussion comes from Nicaragua. 

 The Aristolochias do not usually spread far beyond the tropics, 

 though there are several species in our Southern States and 

 the Dutchman's pipe reaches Minnesota. The members of the 

 genus Asarum are less impressed by the cold and may be 

 found in many parts of the North Temperate Zone, both in 

 Europe and America. The well-known birthwort or Canada 

 ginger (Asarum Canadense) , with heart-shaped leaves and 

 dull red flowers borne close to the earth, is our most familiar 

 species. 



The specimen from which our illustration was made was 

 grown by William Kleinheinz at Ogontz, Pa. In our latitude 



