186 BLASTOGENIC VARIATIONS. 



viously borne peaches alone. This is the more remark- 

 able as most varieties of both the peach and the nec- 

 tarine reproduce themselves truly by seed. Again, 

 nectarine stones occasionally yield peach trees, and a 

 single instance is recorded of a full-grown nectarine 

 tree bearing perfect peaches.* Numerous other in- 

 stances of bud-variation have been observed in the 

 plum, cherry, vine, gooseberry, currant, and other 

 fruits, but it is unnecessary to refer to these here. In 

 flowering plants, also, many cases have been recorded 

 of a whole plant, or a single branch or bud, suddenly 

 producing flowers different from the proper type in 

 colour, form, size, or other character. For instance, 

 a Chrysanthemum, raised from seed, produced by bud- 

 variation six distinct varieties, five differing in colour, 

 and one in foliage. t The common double moss-rose 

 probably took its origin from the Provence rose by 

 bud-variation. The leaves and shoots may be modi- 

 fied by bud-variation as well as the flowers, and several 

 varieties of trees have probably originated in this 

 manner. 



As to the cause of bud-variation, we are in the ma- 

 jority of cases entirely ignorant. Darwin attributes 

 many of the cases to reversion to characters previously 

 present, but which have been lost for a longer or shorter 

 time. Other cases he attributes to the plants being of 

 crossed parentage, and to the buds reverting to one of 

 the two parent forms. There are still many cases left, 

 however, in which what appear to be absolutely new 

 characters present themselves. These can only be at- 



* " Animals and Plants," i. p. 362. 

 f " Animals and Plants," i. p. 440. 



