The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-02-17
Most IntellIqent of Flowers.

Maurice Materlinck in Harper's for Feb
ruary.
The typical flower of our orchids repre-
sents pretty closely the fantastic and
yawning mouth of Chinese dragon. The
lower lip, which is very long and which
hangs In the form of jagged or dentate
apron, serves as a landing place for the
insect. The upper lip rounds into sort
of hood, which shelter the essential or
gans; while, at the back Of the flower.
beside the peduncle, there falls a kind of
spur or long. pointed horn, which con-
tains the nectar. In most flowers the
stigma, or female organ is more or less
viscid little tuft which, at the end OF a
frail stalk, patiently awaits the coming
of the pollen In the orchid. this tradi-
tional installation has become irrecog-
nizable. At the back of the mouth, In
the place occupied in the throat by the
uvula are two closely welded stigmas,
above which rises a third stigma modified
into an extraordinary organ. At its top.
1t carries sort of little pouch, or, more
correctly sort of stoup, which is called
the rostellum. This stoup is full or a
viscid fluid in which soak two tiny balls,
whence Issue two short stalks laden at
their upper extremity with a packet of
grains of pollen carefully tied up.
Let us now see what happens when an
insect enters the flower. She lands on the
lower lip, outspread to receive her, and.
attracted by the scent of the nectar, seeks
to reach the horn that contains it, right
| at the back. But the passge is purposely
very narrow; and the insects head, as
| she advances, necessarily strikes the
stoup. The latter, mindful of the least
shock, Is at once ruptured along con-
venient line and lays bare the two little
balls stepped in the viscid fluid. These
coming into immediate contact with the
visitors skull, fasten to 1t and become
firmly stuck to It, so that, when the In
| sect leaves the flower, she carries them
away, and, with them, the two stalks
which rise from them and which end In
the packets OF tied-up pollen. We, there
fore. have the insect capped with two
straight, bottle-shaped horns. The un-
conscious artisan of difficult work now
visits a neighboring flower. II her horns
remained stiff. they would simply strike
with their pollen masses the other pollen
masses soaking in the vigilant stoup and
no event would spring from the pollen
mingling with pollen. But here the genius
the experience and the foresight of the
orchid become apparent. The orchid has
infinitely calculated the time needed Tor
the insect to suck the nectar and repair
to the next flower and has ascerta1ned
that this requires, on an average, tnrty
seconds. We have seen that the packets
of pollen are carried on two short stalks
inserted into the viscd balls. Now at
the point Of insertion there Is, under
either stalk, a small membranous disk
whose only function Is at the end of
thirty seconds, to contract and throw for
ward the stalks, so that they bend ana
describe an arch of ninety degrees. This
is the result OF new calculation, not OF
time on this occasion, but Of space Inc
two horns of pollen that cap the nuptiai
messenger are now horizontal and point
in front OF her head, so that, when she
enters the next flower, they Will Just
strike the two welded stigmas over which
hangs the stoup.