[61]

Broom May 1866

Wing-petals do not at all cohere, but each rests on horn-like projection from the keel & thus serves to depress the latter. The edges of keel cohere near tip, even after protrusion of shorter anthers, but when tip splits from a touch keel springs downwards & pistil springs upwards. The shorter stamens with adnate anthers alternate with petals & are therefore properly exterior & curl upwards, but the lower one facing ridge of keel cannot do this from presence of other stamens & pistil, & must be useless; yet it contains good pollen, yet though less I think than any other anthers. The stamen which faces the standard has a versatile anther & properly belongs to the inner ring

[61v]

I have looked in Bud, & the one stamen at bottom of keel has anthers with plenty of pollen only a shade smaller than its 4 yellows, & only with these smaller than the longer anthers

(The flower do not spontaneously spring open for 10 or 12 days —)

It is clear that commonly will pistil will be secondarily fertilised by pollen from brought from younger flower. —

How Dichogamy will make plants flower at same time —

[B62]

but does not form one of its own long group; for by curling backwards the anther forms one of a group with the 4 shorter stamens with adnate anthers. Hence we have a shorter group of 5 shorter stamens with 2 kind of anthers, of four long ones with versatile anthers & one of at the bottom of the keel with adnate anthers which is apparently useless. There is no difference in size of pollen in the several groups.— Stigma is at extreme tip of pistil & gets dusted by longer anthers & apparently penetrated by pollen-tubes, when flower explodes, concave surface deeply hollowed & serves to collect pollen, which to be of use must be rubbed off a Bees back. — From similarity of pollen & anthers of 2 rings being combined in one set probably no difference in function

[B62v]

Vapours of Ether for 10' did not stop springing open of flowers — Exposed for 45' & retained full activity. Hence a true chemical & not irritable property.—