

Chap. II. THE COMMON OXLIP. 67 



We see in these five tables the number of capsules 

 and of seeds produced, by crossing both forms of the 

 oxlip in a legitimate and illegitimate manner with one 

 another, and with the two forms of the primrose and 

 cowslip. I may premise that the pollen of two of the 

 short-styled oxlips consisted of nothing but minute 

 aborted whitish cells ; but in the third short-styled plant 

 about one fifth of the grains appeared in a sound con- 

 dition. Hence it is not surprising that neither the 

 short-st}ded nor the long-styled oxlip produced a single 

 seed when fertilised with this pollen. Nor did the 

 pure cowslips or primroses when illegitimately ferti- 

 lised with it ; but when thus legitimately fertilised they 

 yielded a few good seeds. The female organs of the 

 short-styled oxlips, though greatly deteriorated in 

 power, were in rather better condition than the male 

 organs; for though the short-styled oxlips yielded no 

 seeds when fertilised by the long-styled oxlips, and 

 hardly any when illegitimately fertilised by pure 

 cowslips or primroses, yet when legitimately fertilised 

 by these latter species, especially by the long-styled 

 primrose, they yielded a moderate supply of good 

 seed. 



The long-styled oxlip was more fertile than the 

 three short-styled oxlips, and about half its pollen- 

 grains appeared sound. It bore no seed when legiti- 

 mately fertilised by the short-styled oxlips; but this 

 no doubt was due to the badness of the pollen of the 

 latter; for when illegitimately fertilised (Table 14) 

 by its own pollen it produced some good seeds, 

 though much fewer than self-fertilised cowslips or 

 primroses would have produced. The long-styled ox- 

 lip likewise yielded a very low average of seed, as may 

 be seen in the third compartment of the four latter 

 tables, when illegitimately fertilised by, and when 



