[35]

Jan. 6 – 1863 Monochætum ensiferum

Worsted means old flower with straight pistil

Thread means young flower with rectangular pistil.

Black pollen of yellow anther

White pollen of crimson anther

once fertilised. – (all young pollen, each day from same flower)

[Table of results]

March 23 Pod, I suppose prematurely dropped, with very many unfertilised seeds with as near as I can class 253 good or nearly good, seeds – White wool.

(copied)

[35v]

Jan 8th I now much suspect that insects in young flower crawl under red anther & in old flower crawl under yellow anther; from pushing them upwards, or on under surface bent causes pollen to be flirted out. Pollen incoherent & I strongly suspect, as insect leaves pollen is flirted on stigma – Insect dusted might carry to other flower some on back – yellow anther much smaller in relation to fertilising in one position only. I could see no nectar in the 8 deep surrounding ovarium, which seem adapted.

The connective projection of red stamen are thick & watery, can insect gnaw them? – Mem. pistil remain for short time rectangular – insect then sucking flower would get back dusted – if in old flower, it crawled in with back to pistil all right, perhaps alighting on connective.

[36]

It is clear to me that in old flower with straight pistil, the stigma is most likely to be fertilised with yellow anther for then are now nearest.

(Dec 11th I compared carefully in young flower pollen of both anthers; plenty in yellow anther, but certainly at least twice as much in crimson & equally mature in both anthers.)

With the little movement by plant gets the anther empty themselves almost entirely by time flower is old. – so incoherent is pollen: in extremity pollen enough does not drop on stigma – The astonishing sharpness of stigma is opposed to wind, looks more like gathering pollen from insects' hairy body. – (Pistil is perfectly straight in bud, & even very slightly bent showing before flower opens.)