34 
BULLETIN OF WISCONSIN NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. VOL. 5, NO. 1. 
anth-divisions at the base of the flower or in between the base of 
a filament and a perianth-division on the inside. 
Vagnera racemosa (L.) Morong. Wild Spikenard. 
Robertson ( i6) has described the structure of these flowers, 
and given an account of their polHnation as observed by him in 
Macoupin Co. in southern Illinois, where the flowers bloom from 
May 7 to 30. In our latitude they appear nearly a month later, 
extending their flowering period from about June 2 to 29. The 
white flowers are very small, and are gathered in a panicle at the 
end of the stem, but being very numerous they render the inflor- 
escence visible from a considerable distance. I estimated the 
number of flowers in an inflorescence of 5 cm. breadth and 14 cm. 
length at about 500. The main parts of the flower are the diver- 
gent stamens and the pistil, while the perianth-segments are ex- 
ceptionally small and inconspicuous as pointed out by Robertson. 
The flowers are proterogynous and cross-pollination is the prob- 
able outcome. Grassmann (17) noted the presence of septal 
glands, but Robertson could not detect any nectar, and in our 
surroundings these flowers do not show the slightest trace of nec- 
tar. They are visited for pollen only, but their peculiar odor may 
be quite attractive to certain insects, bugs for example that I have 
repeatedly seen gathering in numbers on the flowers towards 
evening. 
In southern Illinois this species seems to be poorly visited, only 
three small bees and one beetle having been noticed by Robertson. 
In a certain locality along the railroad north of West Allis, a 
suburb of Milwaukee, the plants are plentiful, and I observed 
quite a gathering of various insects, notably bees and flies, but 
also beetles and bugs. Following is the list of these visitors : 
A. Hymenoptera 
Andrenid^e: (i) Andrcna nivalis Sm. female, c. p.; (2) 
A. corni Rob. female, c. p.; (3) A. cressonii Rob. female, c. p.; 
(4) Angociilora confiisa Rob. female, c. p. ; (5) Halictus lerouxii 
16. Chas. Robertson. Flowers and insects XYI. Bot. Gaz., Vol. 
XXL, p. 270 (1896). 
17. P. Grassmann. Die Septaldruesen, Flora. Vol. LXVIL, p. 118 
(1884). 
