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Aug. 11 - 66 The Stanhopea with 2 dark purple eye-spots (1) S. oculata on column, requires for good action its pollinia to be removed, almost directly after flower has opened, when smells powerfully & soon withers. The point which extends beyond viscid disc plays most important part in stigma dragging it off finger. There is a hardish rigid point beyond viscid disc which catches against projecting edge of stigma (a) Back

(Acropera Loddigesii - Labellum upwards & its flexibility wd keep insects bobbing whilst gnawing the cup at end, with tail, with stiffest hairs would bob against rostellum. A pointed stiffish brush (& only this) acts well & soon withdraws pollinia & these are left with pedicel driven inwards, close to mouth of stigma. The pedicel terminates in a most minute cusp, lined with viscid matter, which fits on end of rostellum, so that nothing touches viscid till pedicel pushed off & nothing larger than fine hair cd get into cap. The

 

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(a) Stanhopea - several flowers fert. with own pollen white Thread - 2 fl. fert by pollen of very distinct species Black Thread. Not one set, but flowers of this species never do set.

Two flowers on this latter species crossed with pollen of former not marked. Never set.

When pollinia left with disc attached to edge of stigma I can see no pollen tubes emitted.

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brush generally entangled the long thin pedicel & the pollinia irregularly, & this wd suffice, but of course hairs getting attached by viscid matter within or round the cap is the most secure way. Upper edge of narrow stigmatic mouth projects & lower edge is a hard sharp ridge, which both would help to draw off pedicel, when pushed in together with hairs into the stigmatic cavity. I shd think insects crawled into tube, formed by the two lateral lobes folded over, lateral lobes of the labellum to gnaw thick fleshy, succulent anterior wall of terminal cup & at same time pushed the labellum straight back from column.

Aug 15 I now find positively that round mouth of little cup at end of pedicel there is viscid matter, which did not set hard in 20' & to which hairs of brush become attached.

Black thread pollen roughly forced into stigma 4 flower with black Thread & two of these produced capsules!

over

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I am sure now that way to work is to bend backwards pedicel with sides of brush, & then turn it, so that tips of hairs rub upwards against extremity of pedicel, & the viscid matter always adheres to tips of hairs, & then by 1 or 3 trials the pedicel is forced into stigma & pollinia left sticking out with pollen-masses projecting in very reversed direction.

(I have examined 2 or 3 flowers half-withered, on which the pedicel of pollinia had been left sticking in stigmatic chamber, but no pollen-tubes had been exserted. Fluid I think must be secreted so as to bathe the pollinia) (Of about a dozen flowers with pollinia left by brush irregularly, with pedicels more or less closely pushed into stigma or with p. masses going transversely across mouth of stigma, 3 have produced

(Aug 20 fertilised 3 fl. (Black & White Th) with pedicel in stigma but not pollen-masses & then put drop of syrup but these 3 did not set - ditto for one Stanhopea

22d examined one of these now 1/2 withered but syrup had not caused protrusion of pollen-tubes.)