298 BOTANY [Chap. X 



Letter 625 sure that I know the meaning of short stamens in most 

 plants. This summer (for another object) I crossed Queen of 

 Scarlet Pelargonium with pollen of long and short stamens 

 of multiflora alba, and it so turns out that plants from short 

 stamens are the tallest ; but I believe this to have been mere 

 chance. My few crosses in Pelargonium were made to get 

 seed from the central peloric or regular flower (I have got 

 one from peloric flower by pollen of peloric), and this leads 

 me to suggest that it would be very interesting to test 

 fertility of peloric flowers in three ways, — own peloric pollen 

 on peloric stigma, common pollen on peloric stigma, peloric 

 pollen on common stigma of same species. My object is to 

 discover whether with change of structure of flower there is 

 any change in fertility of pollen or of female organs. This 

 might also be tested by trying peloric and common pollen 

 on stigma of a distinct species, and conversely. I believe 

 there is a peloric and common variety of Tropceolum, and a 

 peloric or upright and common variation of some species of 

 Gloxinia, and the medial peloric flowers of Pelargotiium, 

 and probably others unknown to me. 



Letter 626 To I. A. Henry. 



Hartfield, May 2nd [1863]. 



In scarlet dwarf Pelargonium, you will find occasionally 

 an additional and abnormal stamen on opposite and lower 

 side of flower. Now the pollen of this one occasional short 

 stamen, I think, very likely would produce dwarf plants. If 

 you experiment on Pelargonium I would suggest your looking 

 out for this single stamen. 



I observed fluctuations in length of pistil in Phloxes, but 

 thought it was mere variability. 



If you could raise a bed of seedling Phloxes of any 

 species except P. Drummondii, it would be highly desirable 

 to see if two forms are presented, and I should be very 

 grateful for information and flowers for inspection. I cannot 

 remember, but I know that I had some reason to look after 

 Phloxes. 1 



I do not know whether you have used microscopes much 



1 See Forms of Flowers, Ed. 11., p. 119, where the conjecture is 

 hazarded that Phlox subulata shows traces of a former heterostyled 

 condition. 



