OF DIMORPHIC AKD TBIMOKPHIC PLANTS. 41 



whilst the stamens had become elongated as in the short-styled 

 form, so that the stigma was almost surrounded by the anthers. 

 The pollen-grains, however, of the elongated stamens resembled in 

 their small size those of the shorter stamens of the long-styled 

 form. Hence these plants have been rendered equal-styled by the 

 increased length of the stamens, instead of, as with P. sinensis^ by 

 the diminished length of the pistil, Mr. J. Scott observed five 

 other plants in the same state, and he shows * that one of them, 



than 



form 



that it was fur inferior in fertility to either form when legiti- 

 mately crossed. Hence it appears that the mak 



and 



in this equal-styled variety were in a deteriorated condition, but 



manner 



on each other more efiiciently than in the case of either of the 

 ordinary forms. 



The second point which deserves notice is that florists always 

 throw away the long-styled plants, and save seed exclusively from 

 the short-styled form. Nevertheless, as Mr. Scott was informed 

 by a man wlio raises this species extensively in Scotland, about 

 one-fourth of the seedlings appear long-styled ; so that the short- 

 styled form of the Auricula, when fertilized by its own pollen, does 

 not reproduce the same form in so large a proportion as in the 

 case of P. sinensis. We may further infer that the short-styled 



course 



with pollen of the same form ; but as there would always be some 



;ann 



how long self-fertilization has been continued. It is possible that 

 our cultivated plants may be much more sterile than those in a 



Auricula 



rp 



Pbimitla yulgaris, Brit. Fl. 



Var. qcaulis of Linn, and P. acaulis of Jacq. 



Before giving my observations on the illegitimate ofi'spring of 

 the Primrose, it will be convenient to show, under the form of a 

 Table, the degree of fertility in this species of the two illegitimate 

 and two legitimate unions ; for this has not hitherto been any- 

 where recorded : 



* Journal Proc. Linn. Soc. viii. (1864) p. 91. 

 t Teoria deJla Riproduzione Veg. 1816, p. 67. 



