762 Scott. — On the Flowers of Sparmannia africana, 
of October or beginning of November and again in March. 
It is found at the edges of forests outside the tree belt. 
All my investigations were made on plants growing in 
a greenhouse. In its natural state the day temperature 
during flowering rises to a maximum of 92° F. (33° C.) ; but it 
is seldom more than 80-87° F. (27-30-5° C.), and the nights 
average about 60-65° F. (i 5 \ 5 _I 8*5° C.), seldom falling lower 
than 57°F- (i 4 °C.) \ 
The whole plant is covered with hairs, which protect it 
during the cold nights on its native mountains round the 
Cape. The young buds are themselves covered with dense 
hairs, and are sheltered at an early age by the hairy leaves 
above them (Fig. 13). 
Sparmannia africana is an exceptionally favourable plant 
on which to study reaction to stimulus, as so many of its 
parts are sensitive. The most strikingly sensitive organs 
are the stamens : these are arranged in four groups, having an 
outer circle of staminodes. Both stamens and staminodes are 
provided with curious tooth-like outgrowths, few in number 
on the stamens, but becoming more and more numerous and 
conspicuous as the outer staminodes are reached. All of 
these are sensitive to touch ; if only one stamen be touched, 
the stimulus spreads until all the stamens and staminodes 
have moved outwards away from the stigma. 
These movements have been described in great detail by 
various writers 2 . 
Then the petals and sepals respond to the stimulus of light, 
and lastly the flower as a whole is capable of special move- 
ments, regulated not merely by the curvature of the pedicel, 
but by the action of the pulvinus or joint situated at a short 
distance below the flower. 
The following observations, which extend over two seasons, 
are principally on the movements of the flower bud and 
flowers up to the time of the setting of the fruit. 
Three complete inflorescences from bud to fruit were drawn 
1 I am indebted to Mr. Harry Bolus, of Cape Town, for these details. 
2 Haberlandt, Sinnesorgane im Pflanzenreich, pp. 46-51. Leipzig, 1901. 
