Chap. XL FLOWERS. 40 o 



edges, which remained constant for years, and bore flowers of a 

 deeper red than usual. Generally speaking, such branches present 

 little or no difference in their flowers: thus a writer 24 pinched off 

 the leading shoot of a seedling P. zoncUe, and it threw out three 

 branches, which differed in the size and colour of their leaves and 

 stems; but on all three branches "the flowers were identical," 

 except in being largest in the green-stemmed variety, and smallest 

 in that with variegated foliage : these three varieties were sub- 

 sequently propagated and distributed. Many branches, and some 

 whole plants, of a variety called compactum, which bears orange- 

 scarlet flowers, have been seen to produce pink flowers. 25 Hill's 

 Hector, which is a pale red variety, produced a branch with lilac 

 flowers, and some trusses with both red and lilac flowers. This 

 apparently is a case of reversion, for Hill's Hector was a seedling 

 from a lilac variety. 26 Here is a better case of reversion : a variety 

 produced from a complicated cross, after having been propagated 

 for five generations by seed, yielded by bud-variation three very 

 distinct varieties which were undistinguishable from plants, 

 "known to have been at some time ancestors of the plant in 

 question." 27 Of all Pelargoniums, Eollisson's Unique seems to be 

 the most sportive; its origin is not positively known, but is believed 

 to be from a cross. Mr. Salter, of Hammersmith, states 28 that he 

 has himself known this purple variety to produce the lilac, the 

 rose-crimson or conspicuam, and the red or coccineum varieties; the 

 latter has also produced the rose oVamour ; so that altogether four 

 varieties have originated by bud variation from Eollisson's Unique. 

 Mr. Salter remarks that these four varieties " may now be con- 

 " sidered as fixed, although they occasionally produce flowers of 

 " the original colour. This year coccineum has pushed flowers of 

 " three different colours, red, rose, and lilac, upon the same truss, 

 " and upon other trusses are flowers half red and half lilac." 

 Besides these four varieties, two other scarlet Uniques are known to 

 exist, both of which occasionally produce lilac flowers identical 

 with Eollisson's Unique ; 29 but one at least of these did not arise 

 through bud-variation, but is believed to be a seedling from Eollis- 

 son's Unique." 30 There are, also, in the trade 31 two other slightly 

 different varieties, of unknown origin, of Eollisson's Unique : so 

 that altogether we have a curiously complex case of variation both 

 by buds and seeds. 32 Here is a still more complex case : M. Eafarin 



24 ' Journal of Horticulture,' 1861, 30 W. Paul, in ' Gardener's Chron.,' 

 p 336. 1861, p. 968. 



25 W. P. Ayres, in ' Gardener's 3l Ibid., p. 945. 



Chron.,' 1842, p. 791. 32 For other cases of bud-variation 



26 W. P. Ayres, ibid. in this same variety, see ' Gardener's 



27 Dr. Maxwell Masters, 'Pop. Chron.,' 1861, pp. 578, 600, 925. For 

 Science Review,' July, 1872, p. 250. other distinct' cases of bud-variation 



28 'Gardener's Chron.,' 1861, p. in the genus Pelargonium, see 'Cot- 

 968. tage Gardener,' 1860. p. 194. 



29 Ibid., 1861, p. 945. 



