To destroy
crawling pilferers of pollen, several species coat their calices,
at least, with fine hairs or sticky gum; and to insure wide
distribution of offspring, the seeds are packed in the
attractive, bright red calyx tube or hip, a favorite food of many
birds, which drop them miles away. When shall we ever learn that
not even a hair has been added to or taken from a blossom without
a lawful cause, and study it accordingly? Fragrance, abundant
pollen, and bright-colored petals naturally attract many insects;
but roses secrete no nectar. Some species of bees, and a common
beetle (Trichius piger) for example, seem to depend upon certain
wild roses exclusively for pollen to feed themselves and their
larvae. Bumblebees, to which roses are adapted, require a firmer
support than the petals would give, and so alight on the center
of the flower, where the pistil receives pollen carried by them
from other roses. Although the numerous stamens and the pistils
mature simultaneously, the former are usually turned outward,
that the incoming pollen-laden insect may strike the stigma
first.
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