Part 9

Sometimes the flowers are orange-colored or reddish, but they do not seem to attract the insects much. Nor do they care, for they can easily fertilize themselves, the anthers and stigmas being so close together. They have none of the ingenious arrangements for cross-fertilization that characterize their more fortunate relatives. They are thoroughly degraded plants.

There lives a dodder in Europe which grows upon flax, and so does damage to the flax fields, and I am sorry to say this little pest has tramped his way across the ocean into our flax fields. We do not thank Europe at all for sending us such an emigrant.

As the dodders have nothing to do but suck the juices of other plants and make seeds out of them, you may be sure they set any quantity of seeds to keep up the disreputable race of dodders.

Yet, in spite of the dodders, dear Convolvulus People, let us say to you, as our beloved old Rip Van Winkle says to us, “May you live long and prosper, and all your family!”

Stories About the Geranium Family

TROPÆOLUM STORIES.

TROPÆOLUM HONEY.

If you had a horn as red as a rose, And full to the brim with honey, If a bee came along and begged you for some, Now tell, would you give her any?

If I had a horn as red as a rose, And full to the brim with honey, If a bee came along I’d invite her in, And give her all she could carry!

THE TROPÆOLUM.

Like the morning-glory flower, the tropæolum, or nasturtium, as we usually call it, has several important organs. It has a pistil and stamens, and plenty of rich nectar.

Its corolla, as you know, is large and showy, but it is not in the form of a tube. It is divided, into several distinct pieces called petals. Its calyx, too, is not green, but is colored somewhat like the corolla.

And what is that we see—that long red horn?

That is the tropæolum’s nectary. It is framed from the calyx, in which certain of the sepals have grown together to form this horn of plenty. We are tempted to call it a horn of plenty because it is shaped like a cornucopia and is overflowing with sweet nectar.

It is no wonder the bees and humming birds visit Tropæolum so constantly.

She has provided a most attractive dish of honey for them, but she has so cleverly placed it that they cannot reach it without doing her a service. In our climate bees and humming birds are her constant visitors, but in her own home, in South America, she may have visitors we do not know. She may have a favorite moth whose tongue just fits into her long red horn, or it may be a humming bird that comes to her there, for South America is the home of the humming birds, or it may be a butterfly. We do not know about that, but we do know that her red spur has doubtless grown to its present form to please some beloved bird or insect, and that the bill or tongue of that bird or insect is as long as her red spur.

Why do you suppose Tropæolum makes honey for the insects and the birds?

Why does she love to have them come and take the nectar from her long red horn?

I think I know the reason why. She has placed her horn of nectar just back of her stamens. The bees must walk over the stamens before they can reach the nectar. The humming bird must touch the anthers when he thrusts in his bill. Whatever takes the honey must touch the anthers.

This is why Tropæolum has a long red horn full of rich nectar. She wishes the birds and insects that come to her for honey to touch her anthers, which are overflowing with red pollen.

She has made the pollen for her friends, and not for her own use. She wishes her neighbors, the other tropæolums, to have the beautiful gift; but how can she send it to them?

She makes herself beautiful and bright; she fills her horn with honey and exhales fragrance.

The bees and the humming birds see her and approach. No doubt they rejoice in the bright colors, the perfume, and the nectar. They come on bright wings, and as they approach the nectary the grains of red pollen cling to them.

They cannot get enough nectar from one flower; each gives them a little, then they fly to others for more. From flower to flower they hasten and scatter pollen as they go. The pollen from one flower is often left in another, and this is what the tropæolum wants. It wishes its pollen to reach another flower, and uses the bees and the humming birds as its messengers.

Its stamens lie flat on the floor of the flower. When one is about to ripen its anther rises and stands up in front of the spur, where the nectar is ready. Then out bursts the fine red pollen. Only one anther ripens at a time. It sometimes takes several days for the tropæolum to shed all its pollen.

As soon as the pollen is gone the anther lies down again out of the way.

The stamens do not crowd the doorway of the spur; they lie down out of the way until they ripen, then they stand in front of the spur, and when their pollen is shed they lie down again.

They do not obstruct the way to the nectary because they wish the bees and birds to find an easy entrance.