Chap. XI. FLOWEHS. 401 



one beny half red and half wliite.'^ Alexander Brann'^ also haa 

 often seen branches on white currant-trees bearing red berries. 



Pear (Fyrus communis). — Bureau de la Malle states tliat the 

 flowers on some trees of an ancient variety, the doyenne gahux, were 

 destroyed by frost : other flowers appeared in July, which produced 

 six pears; these exactly resembled in their skin and taste the 

 fruit of a distinct variety, the gros doyeiivc hJtmc, but in shape 

 were like the hon-chrctien: it was not ascertained whether this 

 new variety could be propagated by budding or grafting. The 

 same author grafted a hon-chreik-ii on a quince, and it produced, 

 besides its proper fruit, an apparently new variety, of a peculiar 

 form with thick and rough skin.^* 



Apple (Pyrus mains). — In Canada, a tree of the variety called 

 Pound Sweet, jirodnced,'^ between two of its proper fruit, an apple 

 which was well russeted, small in size, diiiereut in shape, and 

 with a short peduncle. As no russet apple grew anywhere near, 

 this case apparently cannot be accounted for by the direct action 

 of foreign pollen. M. Carriere (p. 38) mentions an analogous 

 instance. 1 shall hereafter give cases of apple-trees which regu- 

 larly produce fruit of two kinds, or half-and-half fruit; these trees 

 are generally su])posed, and probably with truth, to be of crossed 

 parentage, and tliat the fruit reverts to both parent-forms. 



Banana (Ahtsa iapievtium). — Sir E. Schomburgk states that he 

 saw in St. Domingo a raceme on the Fig Banana which bore 

 towards the base 12") fruits of the proper kind; and these were 

 succeeded, as is usual, higher i;p the raceme, by barren flowers, 

 and these by 420 fruits, ha\iug a widely difierent appearance, and 

 ripening earlier than the proper fruit. The abnormal fruit closely 

 resembled, except in being smaller, that of the Musa chivensis or 

 cavendisJdi, which has generally been ranked as a distinct siDCcies.'" 



Flowers. — Many cases have been recorded of a whole plant, or 

 single branch, or bud, suddenly producing flowers different from 

 the proper type in colour, form, size, doubleness, or other character. 

 Half the flower, or a smaller segment, sometimes changes colour. 



CanuUia. — The myrtle-leaved species (C. niyrtifolia), and two or 

 three varieties of the common species, have been known to produce 

 hexagonal and imperfectly quadrangular flowers ; and the branches 

 producing such flowers have been propagated by grafting." The 

 Pompon variety often bears " four distinguishable kinds of flowers, 

 " —the ]3ure white and the red-eyed, which appear promiscuously ; 

 " the brindled pink and the rose-coloured, which may be kept 



'- ' Revue Horticole,' quoted in ibid., torn, x.^xiv., 1852, p. 748. 



' Gard. Chronicle,' 1844, p. 8?. " This case is given in the ' GarJ 



'^ ' Plejuvenescence in Nature,' Bot. Chronicle,' 1867, p. 403. 



Memoirs Kay Soc.,' 1853, p. 314. '" ' Journal of Proc. Linn. Soc, 



^* 'Comptes Rendus,' torn. xli. vol. ii. Botany, p. 131. 



1855, p. 804. The second case is " ' Gard. Chronicle,' 1847, p. 207. 

 given on the authority of Gaudichaud, 



VOL. I. 2d 



