36 PHILOSOPHICAL NOTES ON 



sepals, seven petals, and seven stamens, although normally the 

 flowers of the plant have sub-divisions \n Jives. 



On one Streptocarpus, with the three lower petals marked and 

 irregular, I found a flower which was quite regular and wholly 

 unmarked. On another Streptocarpus (white with purple marks) 

 I found a six-petalled flower with five normal stamens and one 

 aborted ; while the others had five petals, with four normal, and 

 one aborted stamen. 



On another, there was a flower with four petals, and one normal 

 and three aborted stamens. 



The hybrid Streptocarpi have many leaves, while one of the 

 original introductions at the Royal Gardens, Kew, I believe, had 

 only one large leaf. 



In the Begonias, we often find the male flower with four petals, 

 and the female flower with five, with other variations. 



Now, with reference to the origin of species, it is conceivable, in 

 the case of the JVeigelia, that each of those variations, on the 

 saine plant, would sometimes produce seed, which might inherit 

 the peculiarities of the parent flower. If so, the next generation, 

 say of this tripartite form, would probably have more tripartite 

 flowers on the same plant. It would thus afford a better chance 

 of this form becoming fixed in future generations, and eventually 

 creating a plant with all the flowers tripartite. 



Then, if one seed happened to be carried to a great distance 

 from the parent colony, this variation, by becoming isolated, might 

 not only become fixed, but might give rise to variation in leaves 

 and habit.* Eventually it would create what might be called a 

 distinct species, more especially if surroundings and other changes 

 were to bring about physiological changes also, which would not 

 admit of its being crossed with the parent stock, even if it had a 

 chance of doing so. 



I was examining some bushes of Raspberries. It is astonishing 

 what variation they show in their leaves. The odd leaflet is often 

 fused to either one or both leaflets of the next pair, forming an irregu- 

 lar or a regular tri-lobed leaflet. Sometimes the lobes disapjjear, 

 and a large heart-shaped leaflet results. At other times there is a 

 large five-lobed leaf and no side leaflets, indicating that the two 



* G. Nicholson gives a form with verticillate instead of opposite leaves, 

 which is evidently the result of fusion of two or more stems. — " Diet, of Ilort." 



