168 Meyen's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany, 



two female plants which were allowed to stand he obtained 

 twenty-eight seeds, which, sowed in 1812, produced twenty 

 plants, ten male and ten female. Two of these females pro- 

 duced twenty seeds, and from these were obtained, in 1813, 

 fifteen plants, eight male, seven female. From these, thirty 

 seeds were produced, which gave, in 1814, nineteen plants, 

 twelve male, seven female; and thirty-two seeds from these pro- 

 duced, in 1815, twenty- one plants, sixteen male, five female ; 

 only two of these females were allowed to stand, from which 

 were obtained twenty-five seeds, which produced, in 1816, 

 fifteen male and two female plants. In these experiments the 

 male plants were destroyed in a very early stage, w^hile they had 

 perfectly undeveloped anthers ; only two females were allowed 

 to remain, in order that it might be easier seen w^hether some 

 male flowers had not been produced between the female ones. 

 The most curious result of these observations is, the formation 

 of mature seeds without fecundation, for this could not be ob- 

 served ; and moreover it is very remarkable, that the propor- 

 tion of male plants to the female ones increased regularly : 

 the plants were cultivated on a rather poor soil. As far 

 as concerns the first result, I consider that it is by no means 

 proved by these new observations, that in the case of the hemp 

 plant, or other Phanerogams, seeds are produced wdthout 

 fecundation ; it may be asked whether these experiments are 

 perfectly correct. However, observations made by such 

 trustworthy men as M. Bernhardi cannot be put aside with- 

 out sufficient reasons, and it is therefore advisable that these 

 experiments be repeated next summer with all the care which 

 such a subject requires. I have observed the formation of 

 pollen in such very unusual places in other plants, that some- 

 thing similar might perhaps be supposed to take place in the 

 cases above mentioned. 



Mr. J. Smith* made a communication to the Linnaean 

 Society concerning a new plant from New Holland, which 

 had been sent to England by Cunningham in 1 829, and had 

 flow^ered every year in the garden at Kew, and borne ripe 

 fruits, although the flowers were all females ; no trace of 

 polliniferous organs could be seen. The plant forms a new 

 genus of the Euphorbiaceae. 



I have also been obliged to publish a small workf, in which 

 are discussed the phaenomena I have observed during the 



« Annals of Natural History, September 1839, p. 68. 



t Meyeii, Noch einige Worte iiber den Befrucbtnngsakt nnd die Poly- 

 einbryonie bei den boheren Pflanzen. Mit 2 Steintafeln in quarto, Berlin, 

 1840. — [A translation of tbis work will appear in tbe forthcoming Part of 

 Taylor's Scientific Memoirs.T-^Eo.] 



