W. llATKSOX U7 



Pelargoniums, 



In PolargDnium Miiu» S«>Ilen»i (Fig. IO)thi' n^vrrwil hits «K*(Mirrfcl on our 

 planto 8overal timoM. Oiu'o ii whoir hruiu'h of gr«'fn-MkiniM'<l Icjivi-h was 

 fonixxi, for the inoHt |Nirt i\» in Fig. 12, liut amongst th<MM a leaf a|)|H'an(l 

 having the whole of c»no side grcon iim shown in Fig. 14. On anoth<T plant 

 of Mnie Sollen>i h 8h<M>t a|)|H»artMl Ix'uring many Icavrs which wrn- wholly 

 white, but the leaf suinding lowest on the shoot, viz. the first Icat from 

 the stem, hml the structun* shown in Fig. 13, half being white and th<* 

 other half griH'n over white. In individual leaves jMitches of reversal 

 have been formed jvs in Fig. 11. Such green-skinned |)atches include, 

 I believe, always some jwirt of the leaf-margin, and on their internal 

 boundary they are delimited from the whitc-over-green parts by a white 

 bi\nd indicating that in the area in which the two kinds of arrangement 

 abut on each other, the deficiency of chlorophyll extends below the sub- 

 epidermal layer (compjire Fig. 16). 



It is a peculiarity of Mme Solleroi that, so far iis I have observed, no 

 flowers are formed on the white-skinned parts, but the green-skinned 

 branch produced a truss of pink flowers. These flowers however were 

 ill-formed' and destitute of pollen. The pistils were, I believe, also 

 defonned, but by inadvertence no note of their condition was made. 



On a large pink-flowered ivy-leaved Pelargonium reversal ha.s also 

 occurred sporadically. Most often the reversiil is confined to a part of 

 a leaf, usually the whole of one side (as in Fig. 9), but more than one 

 whole branch of the reversed kind has independently appeared. Flowers 

 on the white-skinned parts are fertile, producing (as such plants habit- 

 ually do) long white carpels in the fertilised fruits, but the green-skinned 

 form has not yet flowered. 



The white-skinned Pelargonium Caroline Schmidt very often pro- 

 duces wholly green sports. We have here had also several individual 

 leaves on this variety as shown in Fig. 16, composed of a mosaic of the 

 typical and reversed kinds, but hitherto no reversed shoot. 



The phenomenon of reversal is evidently rare and exceptional. No 

 example other than those enumerated hjis yet been seen among the 

 many white-skinned plants grown here or examined elsewhere. We 



* Note. The variegated Pelargonium "Freak of Nature'' mentioned above (stem and 

 centres of foliar organs white ; edges of foliar organs green) bears deformed flowers having 

 both male and female organs aborted. But sports occur some wholly green, others wholly 

 white, and the flowers on both these are perfect, ripening seed on self- fertilisation, and 

 producing seedlings respectively wholly green or wholly white. This plant has had one 

 small green-skinned branch which has not yet flowered. 



