The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online

RECORD: Darwin, C. R. 1863.08. Dichogamy / Impatiens barbigerum. CUL-DAR76.B89. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and edited by John van Wyhe 12.2022. RN1

NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin. The volumes CUL-DAR 76-79 contain material for Darwin's book Cross and self fertilisation (1876).

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Aug. 1863 Impatiens barbigerum— Dichogamy

Put one plant under net.

Theotherplant was often visited by Bees, which crawled in the suspended open flower, to rectangularly bent small spur-like nectary — The 5 stamens cohere & cover the pistil; & they dehisce in longitudinal on under side, where the pulverulent pollen project & would certainly be rubbed off by Bee; In this state the pistil could not apparently be fertilised; but after a time the 5 anthers & filaments drop off & then pistil stands in exact position to be rubbed on Bees back. —

A plant under net produced abundance of seed; so though so adapted to insects fertilises itself. —

Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)