Two of
these stamens have spurs which lie in the coloured spur of the
flower, and have honey at the end of them. Now, when the bee
shakes the end of the stigma, it parts the ring of anthers, and
the fine dust falls through upon the insect.
Let us see for a moment how wonderfully this flower is arranged
to bring about the carrying of the pollen, as Sprengel pointed
out years ago. In the first place, it hangs on a thin stalk, and
bends its head down so that the rain cannot come near the honey
in the spur, and also so that the pollen-dust falls forward into
the front of the little box made by the closed anthers. Then the
pollen is quite dry, instead of being sticky as in most plants.
This is in order that it may fall easily through the cracks.
Then the style or stalk of the stigma is very thin and its tip
very broad, so that it quivers easily when the bee touches it,
and so shakes the anthers apart, while the anthers themselves
fold over to make the box, and yet not so tightly but that the
dust can fall through when they are shaken.
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