African and Madagascar Flowering Plants. 337 
and (as will be seen from the figure of a transverse section of 
the flower in this part) these ledges are held together over 
the style by the rigid claws of the uppermost petals and the 
sepals. 
Now the carina has a distinct tension leading it to spring 
downwards while the style (and in a less degree the staminal 
sheath) have a very strong tendency to fly upwards. Hence, 
when the carinal ledges are made to slip over the style by an 
insect forcing its way under the claws of the upper petals, an 
explosion takes place, and the style springs up to a right angle 
with its former position while the carinal sheath turns down : 
an insect must then be struck by the inner vertical stigmatic 
part of the style, si, and also be touched on the abdomen 
by the pollen from the seven anthers which emerges in 
a globular mass. Honey seems to be secreted by four finger- 
like projections from the top of the ovary or possibly by 
the bases of the sepals. Visitors : — Hymenoptera : a large 
bee Xylocopa violacea ? Apis mellifica sucking (from exploded 
flowers chiefly). Diptera : Syrphus capensis. Coleoptera : 
Anisonyx ursus . — Cape Town. 
Muraltia serpylloides, DC. (Fig. 9.) 
In this species there is the same union of the three 
lower petals to form a carina enclosing the stamens and style, 
but the upper edges of this sheath are held together over the 
style by a deep depression on its upper surface which is fitted 
by a basal projection of the upper petals, thus forming an even 
closer similarity to Leguminosae than the preceding species. 
There is the same explosive emergence. 
Muraltia diffusa, Burch . 
Similar to M. Heisteria , but in this species the ovary 
is hairy in its exposed upper portion between the superior 
petals. 
M. phylicoides, Thunb . 
Also similar to M. Heisteria . 
Mundtia spinosa, DC. 
The three lower petals are united as in Muraltia, but on 
