CHAP. V. HETEROSTYLED DIMORPHIC PLANTS. 221 



styled plants produced sixteen plants, which all proved equal- 

 styled, and resembled their parents in all the above-specified 

 respects. The stamens, however, in one plant were seated higher 

 up the tube of the corolla than in the true long-styled form ; 

 in another plant almost all the anthers were contabescent. These 

 sixteen plants were the grandchildren of the four original plants, 

 which it is believed were equal-styled ; so that this abnormal 

 condition was faithfully transmitted, probably through three, 

 and certainly through two generations. The fertility of one of 

 these grandchildren was carefully observed: six flowers were 

 fertilised with pollen from the same flower, and produced six 

 capsules, containing on an average 68 seeds, with a maximum 

 of 82, and a minimum of 40. Thirteen capsules spontaneously 

 self-fertilised yielded an average of 53 2 seeds, with the astonish- 

 ing maximum in one of 97 seeds. In no legitimate union has 

 so high an average as 68 seeds been observed by me, or nearly 

 so high a maximum as 82 and 97. These plants, therefore, not 

 only have lost their proper heterostyled structure and peculiar 

 functional powers, but have acquired an abnormal grade of fer- 

 tility unless, indeed, their high fertility may be accounted for 

 by the stigmas" receiving pollen from the circumjacent anthers 

 at exactly the most favourable period. 



With respect to Mr. Duck's lot in Table 31, seed was saved 

 from a single plant, of which the form was not observed, 

 and this produced nine equal-styled and twenty long-styled 

 plants. The equal-styled resembled in all respects those pre- 

 viously described ; and eight of their capsules spontaneously 

 self-fertilised contained on an average 44*4 seeds, with a 

 maximum of 61 and a minimum of 23. In regard to the 

 twenty long-styled plants, the pistil in some of the flowers did 

 not project quite so high as in ordinary long-styled flowers; 

 and the stigmas, though properly elongated, were smooth ; so 

 that we have here a slight approach in structure to the pistil of 

 the short-styled form. Some of these long-styled plants also 

 approached the equal-styled in function ; for one of them pro- 

 duced no less than fifteen spontaneously self-fertilised capsules, 

 and of these eight contained, on an average, 31 "7 seeds, with 

 a maximum of 61. This average would be rather low for a 

 long-styled plant artificially fertilised with its own pollen, but 

 is high for one spontaneously self-fertilised. For instance, 

 thirty-four capsules produced by the illegitimate grandchildren 

 of a long- styled plant, spontaneously self-fertilised, contained 



