268 



McDotiald : The Dogs Mercury. 



the plant in qnestion. Many of the organs thus designated 

 by him have, however, been proved not to be nectariferous, 

 but whether the true function of those of the Dog's Mercury 

 w-ere known, or if they ever have been described as functional 



9 10 II 12 13 



18 19 20 21 22 



9. Staminate flower. 10. Stamens (two views). 11. and 13. Pistillate 

 flowers (two views), position of honey shown in fig. 13. 12. Staminode 

 with drop of honey. 14. Longitudinal section of pistillate flower ; p, 

 perianth ; st, style, upper surface stigmatic ; s, staminode. 15. Ovule ; 

 m, micropyle. 16. Transverse section of fruit just previous to dehiscence ; 

 s, seed ; /, fibrous wall of pericarp which brings about dehiscence. 17. 

 Single carpel dehiscing to scatter the seed. 18. Diagram of a typical 

 staminate flower. 19. Diagram of a typical pistillate flower; 5, stam- 

 inode. 20. Diagram of a pistillate flower having a three-lobed ovary. 



21. Diagram of a group (glomerule) of flowers from a staminate spike. 



22. Diagram of a group having an unusual number of bracts ; circles 

 represent flowers, largest first to open, &c. ; b, bract ; b^, secondarv 

 "bracts ; b'^, tertiary bracts. Typically only one bract and one secondary 

 bract are present as in>fig. 21. Figs, g, 11, 13, 16, 17, enlarged: Figs. 10, 

 12, 14, 1 5, further enlarged. 



nectaries, the writer has met with no evidence. Such, however, 

 is the case, they are indeed functional nectaries.* During the 

 time that the stigmas are in the receptive condition {i.e. ready 

 for pollination), careful examination will reveal the fact that 



* I first observed this feature in April 1905. A brief description is 

 given on page 7 of the ' Report and Proceedings of the jSIanchester Field 

 Naturalists' and Archaeologists' Society for 1905.' 



Katu ralist, 



