OT DIMORPHIC A>^D TRIMOKPHIO PLANTS. 417 



in another plant almost all the anthers were contabescent. These 

 sixteen plants were the grandchildren of the four original plants, 

 which probably Avere equal-styled ; so that this abnormal condi- 

 tion has been faithfully transmitted, probably, through three, and 

 certainly through two generations. The fertility of one of these 

 grandchildren was carefully observed : six flowers were fertilized 

 with pollen from the same flower, and produced six capsules, con- 

 taining on an average sixty-eight seeds, with a maximum of eighty- 

 two and a minimum of forty. Thirteen capsules spontaneously 

 self-fertilized yielded an average of 53*2 seeds, with the astonishing 

 maximum in one capsule of ninety-seven seeds, and a minimum of 

 fourteen, w Inch latter capsule might fairly have been excluded, 

 and then the average would have been higher. In no legitimate 

 union has so high an average as sixty-eight seeds been observed by 

 me, or nearly such high maxima as eighty-two and ninety-seven. 

 Hence these plants not only have lost their proper dimorphic 

 structure and peculiar functional powers, but have acquired an 

 a-bnormal gi'ade of fertility — unless, indeed, their high fertility may 

 be accounted for by the stigmas receiving pollen from the circum- 

 jacent anthers at exactly the most favourable period. 



With respect to Mr. Duck's lot in the Table, seed was saved 

 from a single plant, of which the form Avas not observed, and this 

 produced nine equal-styled and twenty long-styled plants. The 

 equal-styled resembled in all respects those previously described; 

 and eight of their capsules spontaneously self-fertilized contained 

 on an average 44'4 seeds, with a maximum of sixty-one and a 

 minimum of twenty -three. In regard to the twenty long-styled 

 plants, the pistil in some of the flowers did not project quite so 

 high as in the ordinary long-styled form ; and the stigmas, though 

 properly elongated, were smooth; so that we have a slight approach 

 in structure to the pistil of the short-styled form. So it also is 

 in function ; for one of these plants produced no less than fifteen 

 spontaneously self-fertilized capsules, and eight of these contained 

 on an average 31*7 seeds, with a maximum of sixty-one. This 

 average would be rather low for a long-styled plant artificially 

 fertilized with its own pollen, but is high for one spontaneously 



self-fertilized. For instance, thirty-four capsules produced by 

 the illegitimate grandchildren of a long-styled plant, spontaneously 

 self- fertilized, contained on an average only O"! seeds, with a maxi- 

 mum of forty-six. . Some seeds indiscriminately saved by the 

 gardener from the foregoing equal- styled and long-styled plants 

 produced sixteen seedlings (grandchildren of the original single 



