The Oriyin of Striped Flozvcrs. 
113 
of reversion of varieties to their parent species, and there- 
fore to suggest that the characters of the latter were not 
lost when the variety originated, but only became latent. 
13. VILMORIN'S SUGGESTION AS TO THE ORIGIN OF 
STRIPED FLOWERS. 
One of the oldest and best-known instances both of 
bud - variations and of 
sectorial splitting is af- 
forded by certain so- 
called variegated garden 
flowers and particularly 
by the annual Larkspurs, 
Delphinium Ajacis and 
D. Consolida. All phases 
of the phenomenon can 
be followed in this case 
with great ease, for from 
time immemorial these 
varieties have borne 
flowers which show the 
most varied striping on 
a background of a dif- 
ferent color; and they 
also produce flowers a 
half or a third or some 
other fraction of which 
uniformly bears the color 
which commonly only 
appears in stripes (Fig. 
19). Flowers of this Fig. 17. Delphinium Consolida stria- 
i i , turn plenum. A plant in flower. 
kind may be scattered 
over the whole plant, but are oftener distributed in such 
