Polycephalic Poppies 371 



variety, under tlie name of Cheiranthus Cheiri 

 gynantherus, and the analogous form of the 

 opium-poppy is not at all an accidental anomaly, 

 but an old true horticultural variety, which 

 can be bought everywhere under the names of 

 Papaver somniferum monstruosum or polyce- 

 pJialum. Since it is an annual plant, only the 

 seeds are for sale, and this at once gives a suffi- 

 cient proof of its heredity. In all cases, where 

 it was met with accidentally by botanists, it is to 

 be assumed that stray seeds had been casually 

 mixed with those of other varieties, or that the 

 habit had been transmitted by a spontaneous 

 cross. 



Wherever opportunity led to experiments on 

 heredity, distinct races were found to be in pos- 

 session of this quality, while others were not. 

 It is of but little use to cultivate large numbers 

 of wall-flowers in the hope of one day seeing the 

 anomaly arise ; the only means is to secure the 

 strain from those who have got it. With pop- 

 pies the various varieties are so often inter- 

 crossed by bees, that the appearance of an acci- 

 dental change may sometimes be produced, and 

 in the houseleek the pistilloid variety seems to 

 be the ordinary one, the normal strain being 

 very rare or perhaps wholly wanting. 



Our three illustrative examples are good and 

 permanent races, producing their peculiar quali- 



