. Handbook of flower pollination : based upon Hermann Mu?ller's work 'The fertilisation of flowers by insects' . Fertilization of plants. 40 ANGIOSPERMAE—DICOTYLEDONES 524. Erica L. The species of this genus belong to flower classes H, L, LH, C, and An. 1763. E. Tetralix L. (Herm. Miiller, 'Fertilisation,' pp. 376-7, ' Weit. Beob.,' Ill, p. 67; MacLeod, Bot. Jaarb. Dodonaea, Ghent, v, 1893, pp. 450-1; Schulz, 'Beitrage'; Knuth, ' Bl. u. Insekt. a. d. nordfr. Ins.,' p. 161, 'Weit. Beob. ii. Bl. u. Insekt. a. d. nordfr. Ins.,' 238.)—This species belongs to the class of bee flowers. The pendulous
. Handbook of flower pollination : based upon Hermann Mu?ller's work 'The fertilisation of flowers by insects' . Fertilization of plants. 40 ANGIOSPERMAE—DICOTYLEDONES 524. Erica L. The species of this genus belong to flower classes H, L, LH, C, and An. 1763. E. Tetralix L. (Herm. Miiller, 'Fertilisation,' pp. 376-7, ' Weit. Beob.,' Ill, p. 67; MacLeod, Bot. Jaarb. Dodonaea, Ghent, v, 1893, pp. 450-1; Schulz, 'Beitrage'; Knuth, ' Bl. u. Insekt. a. d. nordfr. Ins.,' p. 161, 'Weit. Beob. ii. Bl. u. Insekt. a. d. nordfr. Ins.,' 238.)—This species belongs to the class of bee flowers. The pendulous red flower bells, aggregated into capitulo-umbellate inflorescences, make the plant very conspicuous. Hermann Miiller says that their mechanism agrees with those of Vaccinium Myrtillus and V. uliginosum. The flower bell is 7 mm. long, and its central part 4 mm. broad. The ovary is sessile in the bottom of the flower, and its base is surrounded by a blackish annular nectary, the secretion of which accumulates where it is formed. The blackish sticky stigma occupies the narrow (only 2 mm.) opening of the corolla, or even projects from it, so that an insect visitor hanging on to the blossom and probing for nectar must first touch this, effecting cross-pollination if another flower has previously been visited. At the same time the insect's proboscis is moistened with the sticky stigmatic fluid, and made ready to receive a fresh supply of pollen. The down- wardly directed anther-pores are situated some- what above the stigma, and the pairs of long pointed thorn-like anther-processes stretch as far as the wall of the bell. Immediately after the proboscis of a nectar-seeking insect has touched the stigma, it strikes against some of these pro- cesses, and some of the dry powdery pollen falls from the anther-pores upon the front part of its head, adhering to the part previously made sticky with stigmatic fluid. When the next flower is visited crossing must take place, the head of th
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