July 15. 1919 Relation between the Flowers and Fruits of the Lemon 157 



uniformly as the number of buds per inflorescence increased in succeeding 

 classes. From these data the following constants were calculated: 



Mean number of buds per inflorescence = 4.784 ±0.071. 



Standard deviation= 3.916 ±0.050. 



Coefficient of variability = 81. 86 ± 1.62. 

 An inspection of the figures shows several interesting relationships. 

 The number of buds per inflorescence shows no tendency whatever to 

 follow the normal curve of errors; therefore we may conclude that the 

 number is not determined by pure chance, but, on the contrary, is fixed 

 by some other influence. If the number of buds had been determined 

 by purely casual factors, such as position on the tree, age of wood, or 

 climatic conditions, we should be warranted in expecting* a purely chance 

 distribution. In a following paragraph it is shown that there is a cor- 

 relation indicating that larger inflorescences occur in the spring months, 

 but the coefficient expressing this correlation is not such that much 

 emphasis can be laid upon it. 



Table III. — Frequency of inflorescences in relation to number of bud'; they produced 



Since the distribution of the buds on the inflorescences departs so 

 widely from that to be expected upon the basis of pure chance, it seems 

 logical to assume that it is determined by factors which reside in the 

 tree and not by external factors. In other words, the Lisbon lemon 

 tree has an inherited tendency to produce few-flowered inflorescences 

 which outweighs the effect of external influences. 



The writer has found very few recorded studies upon this question, 

 though it would seem worthy of study both from practical and theoretical 

 standpoints. The frequency of distribution of the number of seeds in 

 receptacles of the lotus (Nelumbium luteum) was found to agree very 

 closely with that of a chance distribution.^ It should be noted, however, 

 that the two cases differ in the morphology of the organs in question. 

 In lotus we are dealing with an organ developing from a compound 

 ovary — that is, with one flower; but in the lemon inflorescence we are 

 dealing with a short branch bearing flowers. It is possible that the 



Pearl, Raymond. Variation in the number of seeds of the lotus. In Amer. Nat., v. 40, no. 479, 



P- 757-768, 4 fig., 1906. 



