TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION D. 



713 



Cordia Myxa, L. 

 Stijrax Benzoin, Dry. (Eesln). 

 Cuscuta arabica, L. 

 Solamnn Dulcanmra, L. 

 Origanum Marjomna, L. 

 Celosia aryentea, L. 

 Rumex dentafus, L.* 

 Launis nohilis, L. 

 Ficus syconiorus, L.* 

 Juglans regia, L. 

 Juniperus phccnicia, L.* 



Pinus Pine a, L.* 

 Narcissus tazetta, L. 

 Phoenix dactylifera, L.* 

 Hyphmne thehaica, Mart.* 

 Cyperus papyrus, L.* 

 Scirpus maritimus, L. 

 Imperata cylindrica, L. 

 iS'ffcc/( a?-M??i egyptiacum , 

 Avena strigosa, Sclireb. 

 Triticum vulgare, L.* 

 Hordeuon vulgare, L.* 



Willd. 



• 7, Abnormal Ferns, Bylrids, and their Parents} 



By E. J. Lowe, F.B.S., and Colonel Jones. 



It is not intended by anything said in this paper that the exertion of others in 

 the same field shall be ignored ; the authors only wish to record their personal 

 experience, the labour of a number of years. 



More than thirty years ago experiments were commenced, and twenty-one 

 years a^^o a paper was read by Mr. Lowe, ' On Hybrid Ferns,' at the Dundee 

 meetin^°of the British Association. The subject was at that time an its infancy, 

 and none of the botanists there present, with the exception of the late Professor 

 Balfour, thoroughly belieyed in these crosses. The late Mr. Clapham, who had 

 giyen the subject careful investigation for some years, only became conymced by 

 seeing a sej-ies of examples in 1879 of crosses of Athyriums, in which were spores 

 of the yarieties Victoria3 and Proteoides, which series was taken to the British 

 Association at Sheffield. 



About fifteen years ago the endeayour was made to cross Polystichum acidea- 

 turn with Poh/sti'clnnn angulare, and when the seedlings had become mature 

 (seven years afterwards) it was at all events apparent to one of the authors that 

 this cross had been accomplished, but only in five examples out of a thousand 

 seedlings. The object was to obtain a narrow cruciate variety of Polystichum 

 aculeatum, a copy in Polystichum aculeatum of the narrow cruciate variety 

 "VVakeleyanum of Polystichum angulare, for as yet this was a desideratum. 



Polj-stichum angulare, var. Wakeleyanum, was sown together with a dense 

 fronded variety of Polystichum ' aculeatum ' known as ' densum.' In 1884 speci- 

 mens and a short paper were sent to the Linnean Society, but even this was not 

 sufficient to remove the doubts of botanists ; but a year later a letter from Sir 

 Joseph Hooker stated that the crossing of ferns was then an acknowledged fact. 



This hybrid, witli its parents, together with the offspring of the hybrid, have 

 been exhibited at the Bath Floral Fete amongst other specimens of botamcal 

 interest to Section D. 



Colonel Jones, who is joint author with Mr. Lowe, has had (though starting- 

 a little later) great experience in the crossing of ferns, and has obtained coincident 

 results. The instances of crossing have now accumulated to such an extent a.5 

 to preclude the possibility of any further doubt on the subject. 



To produce these results, however, great care is necessary that the germination 

 of the spores should be very general and also simultaneous. 



The clear proof of the reality of the crossing of varie+ies lies in the fact of the 

 production of plants, either bearing a character intermediate between those of the 

 plants sown, or combining the two characters. 



A remarkable fact in connection with these crosses being the frequent trans- 

 ference of the character by one variety to another, this even apphes to variegation. 

 It will be seen in the example of the cruciate hybrid of Polystichum aculeatum 

 that it is a marked copy of the cruciate form of Polystichum angulare, one of the 

 parents selected with the object of obtaining a cruciate Polystichum aculeatum. 

 Instead of the usual gradual jprocess, the form was obtained at once. This applies 



' This paper is to be published in extenso in Annals of Botany, with illustrations. 



