17J: 



MB. C. DABWIJf ON THE SEXUAT. BKLATIONS OF 



and in the short-styled 71. So that we have good concurrent 

 evidence of the different average production of seed by the three 

 forms. To show that the artiiicial fertilizations, presently to he 

 described, produced their full effect and may be trusted, I may 

 state that one mid-styled capsule yielded 151 good seeds, which 

 is the exact number of the finest wild capsule examined by me. 

 Artificially fertilized short- and long-styled capsules actually pro- 

 duced a greater number of seeds than I have found in wild plants, 

 but then I did not examine many of the latter. This Lythrum, 

 I may add, offers a remarkable instance, how profoundly ignorant 

 we are of the life-conditions of each species : naturally it grows 

 " in wet ditches, watery places, and especially on the banks of 

 streams," and though it produces so many minute seeds, it never 

 spreads on the adjoining land ; yet, planted in my garden, on 

 clayey soil lying over the chalk, and which is so dry that a rush 

 cannot be found, it thrives luxuriantly, grows to above six feet iu 

 height, produces self-sown seedlings, and (which is a severer test) 

 is fully as fertile as in a state of nature. Nevertheless it would 

 be almost a miracle to find this plant spontaneously growing on 

 such land as my garden, though under its native climate. 



According to Vaucher and Wirtgen, the three forms coexist in 

 all parts of Europe. Some friends gathered for me in North 

 Wales a number of twigs from separate plants growing near each 

 other, and then classified them. My son did the same in Hamp- 

 shire, and here is the result : — 



! 



Long-styled. 



Slid-stylcd. 



1 

 Sliort-styled. j 



Total. 



\ XortliWale.s 

 1 Hampshire . 



95 

 53 



97 



38 



72 ! 

 3?^ i 



204 

 129 



1 Total. . . . 



l-t-S 



135 



110 ; 



393 



If twice or thrice the number had been collected, probably the 

 three forms would have been found nearly equal ; I infer this 

 from considering the above figures, and from my son telling me 

 that if he had collected in another spot, he felt sure that the 

 mid-styled plants would have been in excess. I several times 

 sowed small parcels of seed, and raised all three forms ; but I 

 neglected to record the parent form, except in one instance, in 

 which I raised from short-styled seed twelve plants, of which only 

 one turned out long- styled, four mid-styled, and seven short- 

 styled. 



