

Chap. V. HETEROSTYLED DIMORPHIC PLANTS. 215 





lot, and produced fourteen capsules, containing on an 

 average 29.2 seeds; but they ought to have con- 

 tained about 35 seeds. Fifteen flowers legitimately 

 fertilised with pollen from an illegitimate short-styled 

 plant (belonging to the lot next to be described) pro- 

 duced fourteen capsules, containing an average of 46 

 seeds; they ought to have contained at least 50 seeds. 

 Hence these grandchildren of illegitimate descent ap- 

 pear to have lost, though only in a very slight degree, 

 their full fertility. 



We will now turn to the short-styled form: from a 

 plant of this kind, fertilised with its own-form pollen, 

 I raised, during February, 1862, eight seedlings, seven 

 of which were short-styled and one long-styled. They 

 grew slowly, and never attained to the full stature of 

 ordinary plants; some of them flowered precociously, 

 and others late in the season. Four flowers on these 

 short-styled seedlings and four on the one long-styled 

 seedling were illegitimately fertilised with their own- 

 form pollen, and produced only three capsules, con- 

 taining on an average 23.6 seeds, with a maximum 

 of 29; but we cannot judge of their fertility from so 

 few capsules; and I have greater doubts about the 

 normal standard for this union than about any other; 

 but I believe that rather above 25 seeds would be a 

 fair estimate. Eight flowers on these same short-styled 

 plants and the one long-styled illegitimate plant 

 were reciprocally and legitimately crossed; they pro- 

 duced five capsules, which contained an average of 

 28.6 seeds, with a maximum of 36. A reciprocal cross 

 between legitimate plants of the two forms would have 

 yielded an average of at least 57 seeds, with a possi- 

 ble maximum of 74 seeds; so that these illegitimate 

 plants were sterile when legitimately crossed. 



I succeeded in raising from the above seven short- 



16 



