62 NOTES ON LILIES 



nothing but chaff, others had a few imperfect seed, while others gave a 

 fair supply of seed as good as could be desired. It was sown in pans, 

 germinated in due time, and produced several hundred young bulbs, but 

 when these came into bloom not a single flower of them all was in the 

 least distinguishable from the pure Superbum. Of eight different male 

 parents not one had impressed his features on his hybrid offspring. Not 

 only in their flowers, but in their leaves, stems, and bulbs, the young 

 plants showed no variation from their maternal parent. In the following 

 year I set some of them apart from the rest, and applied to them, as to 

 their mothers before them, the pollen of several species of Lilies. This 

 time the seeds were extremely scanty, a few, however, were produced, but 

 the plants and flowers that resulted from them, were to all appearance 

 Superbum, pure and simple. 



"Another subject of experiment was Umbellatum, which I fertilised 

 with the pollen of Auralum. Seed was produced in abundance, and the 

 young plants began to bloom in the second year. Many of them were 

 not to be distinguished from the pure Umbellatum, others showed 

 unmistakeable marks of their hybrid origin in the defective condition of 

 the organs of reproduction, the anthers being- abortive or wholly wanting, 

 as were also, in a few cases, even the pistils. In some instances the 

 corolla was deformed, some of the petals being absent, and others small 

 and ill shaped ; but while the influence of the alien pollen was shown in 

 these defects, no features of the male parent appeared, either in form, 

 colour, scent, or manner of growth. No Lily seems to offer better 

 prospects to the hybridiser than Longiflorum. The species itself is not a 

 good seed bearer in our climate, but one of its varieties, known as 

 Longijiorum Takesima, bears seed very freely. This variety is also 

 distinguished by superior vigour of growth, and by the dark markings of 

 its stem ; the pure white of the large trumpet-shaped flowers seems 

 peculiarly fitted to receive impressions of colour from an alien parent ; 

 I therefore fertilised it with the pollen of a deep variety of Speciosum. 

 The operation was performed under glass, and with the greatest care. 

 The seed was abundant, and being sown immediately it all germinated in 

 the following spring (see page 12). When the flowers opened, two 

 years after, they showed no sign whatever of the male parent, the pure 

 white was without tint or spot, neither did the foliage and stem show the 

 slightest trace of foreign influence ; the plants were in pots. I removed 

 a number of them to the greenhouse, and, having no pollen of Speciosum 

 at hand, I fertilized them with that of Auratum ; several refused to bear 

 seed, while others produced it freely. The young plants resulting' from 

 this last experiment bloomed in the spring of 1874. Neither Speciosum, 

 their grandfather, nor Auratum, their father, had produced any effect 

 whatever on the pure white of their petals; they showed differences of habit 

 among themselves, some being very tall and vigorous and others compact 

 and bushy, with a tendency to bloom in clusters, but these may have been 

 mere seedling variations with which the hybridisation had nothing to do. 

 Yet distinct evidence could be seen of the action of the alien pollen: 

 some of the anthers were small and abortive, and some of the pistils 

 ivere imperfect, but what was more to the purpose, was the changed 



