70 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
showing you the result. This is seen in two twisted stems of Dipsacus 
fullonum, which owe their twisting to a cross of the common Teazel 
with my hereditary race of Dipsacus sylvestris torsus.* As you will see, 
the twisting is just as perfectly developed as in the paternal form.tT 
In 1896, in the botanical garden at Nancy, there flowered both the 
plants in question, which had been cultivated for several years at a 
distance of about 100 metres from each other. Pollen could easily be 
transferred by insects. From the seed of Dipsacus fullonwm plants were 
raised in 1897, among which three in the next summer had perfectly 
twisted stems. One of these bore an inflorescence with an involucre 
formed of bracts bent upwards; in the other two the bracts were bent 
outwards. It is well known that the first is peculiar to D. sylvestris, and 
the second form to D. fullonum. 
It is to be remarked that in the same year the number of swisha 
individuals of D. sylvestris torsus was considerably reduced in Professor 
Le Monnier’s garden. Professor Le Monnier was also kind enough to 
send me some of the seed of this hybrid: they were sown in April, and 
yielded vigorous plants, mostly of the D. fullonwm type. 
In this newest example of transferring a monstrosity by hybridising 
there is also, as regards the modus operandi of the transfer of the torsion 
character, very little known. 
For some years, in connection with this position of matters, it has 
appeared to me that it would be interesting to investigate a single 
case of hybridising carefully and in full detail, and to describe the same. 
To this end I chose a very simple case, and one which could be followed 
thoroughly—viz. the transference of the lack of pubescence in Lychnis 
vespertina glabra into Lychnis diurna. ‘The object was to produce 
artificially a hairless form of the latter. 
This task is all the more important since the form in question has 
already arisen elsewhere in the ordinary way of variation. About 1842 
Sekera had found tie hairless form of Lychnis diwrna on a mountain slope 
not far from Munchengriitz. It grew there in quantity, and has remained 
constant until now, that is, for more than fifty years. He called it at 
first L. diwrna glaberrvma, but later L. Preslii. Under the latter name 
it is still found in botanical gardens, especially in Prague, in Tiflis, and in 
M. Correvon’s garden at Geneva. From Prague Professor Celakowski 
sent me, in May of this year, a female plant, and later he sent me some 
examples collected for me by his assistant, Dr. Nemec, at the original 
station near Minchengratz, for which aid my best thanks are due to 
both gentlemen. 
I possess, therefore, now the material enabling me to compare my 
hybrids with these plants, obviously originated directly from L. diwrna, 
and find that, as far as regards the leaves, stems, and flowers, there is no 
appreciable difference between the two. 
Moreover I have addressed myself to Dr. mil Sekera, Professor of 
Zoology at the K.K. Staatsrealschule in Jicin, in Bohemia, a nephew of 
ag’. Monographie der Zwangsdrehungen,” in Pringsheim’s Jahrbiicher fiir Wiss. 
Bot. vol. xxiii. Part 1, 1891. 
t Two twisted stems of the new hybrid and several twisted stems of the paternal 
form were shown at the Conference. 
{ Lotos, iii. p. 133; Oesterr. Bot. Wochenblatt, 1854, p- 197. 
