My Studio NeighborsGibson, W. Hamilton (William Hamilton)
History
My Studio Neighbors
Gibson, W. Hamilton (William Hamilton)
Natural history; Natural history -- Outdoor books
How many an enthusiastic flower-hunter has plucked his fragrant bouquet
of the beautiful Arethusa, in its sedgy haunt, without a suspicion of
the beautiful secret which lay beneath its singular form! Indeed, how
many a learned botanist, long perfectly familiar with its peculiarities
of shape and structure, has been entirely content with this simple fact,
nor cared to seek further for its interpretation! But
"All may have the flower now,
For all have got the seed."
With Darwin as our guide and the insect as our key--an _open
sesame_--the hidden treasure is revealed. It is now quite possible, as
Darwin demonstrated, to look upon a flower for the first time and from
its structure foretell the method of its intended cross-fertilization;
nay, more, possibly the kind, or even the species, of insect to which
this cross-fertilization is intrusted.
Let us look at our Arethusa. The writer has never happened to observe an
insect at work upon this flower, but the intention of its structure is
so plain that by a mere examination we may safely prophesy not only what
must happen when the insect seeks its nectar, but with equal assurance
the kind of insect thus invited and expected. I have indicated a group
of the orchids in their usual marshy haunt, and in Fig. 4, separately, a
series of diagrams presents sections of the flower, natural size and
duly indexed, which renders detailed description hardly necessary. The
column is here quite elongated, forked at the tip, the space between the
forks occupied by the anther, which is hinged to the upper division.
This anther lid is closed tightly, with the sticky mass of pollen hidden
behind it in the cavity. The stigma is on the external inner side of the
lower division, and thus distinctly separated from the pollen. The "lip"
is extended forward as a hospitable threshold to the insect. And to what
insect might we assume this invitation of color, fragrance, nectar, and
threshold to be extended?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account