Chap. VUI. ONONIS. 325 



crowded yielded an ayerage of only 48. Sixteen cap- 

 sules from perfect flowers artificially crossed with pollen 

 from another plant contained on an average 93 seeds, 

 with a maximum of 137. Thirteen capsules from self- 

 fertilised perfect flowers gave an average of 62 seeds, 

 with a maximum of 135. Therefore the capsules from 

 the cleistogamic flowers contained fewer seeds than 

 those from perfect flowers when cross-fertilised, and 

 slightly more than those from perfect flowers self- 

 fertilised. 



Dr. Kuhn believes that the Abyssinian V. sessiflora 

 does not differ specifically from the foregoing species. 

 But its cleistogamic flowers apparently include four 

 anthers instead of two as above described. The plants, 

 moreover, of V. sessiflora produce subterranean runners 

 which yield capsules ; and I never saw a trace of such 

 runners in V. nummularifolia, although many plants 

 were cultivated. 



Linaria spuria. — Michalet says* that short, thin, 

 twisted branches are developed from the buds in the 

 axils of the lower leaves, and that these bury them- 

 selves in the ground. They there produce flowers 

 not offering any peculiarity in structure, excepting 

 that their corollas, though properly coloured, are de- 

 formed. These flowers may perhaps be ranked as 

 cleistogamic, as they are developed, and not merely 

 drawn, beneath the ground. 



Ononis eolwmnse. — Plants were raised from seeds sent 

 me from Northern Italy. The sepals of the cleisto- 

 gamic flowers are elonga,ted and closely pressed to- 

 gether ; the petals are much reduced in size, colour- 

 less, and folded over the interior organs. The fila- 

 ments of the ten stamens are united into a tube, and 



'Bull. Soo. Eot. de France,' torn. vii. 1860, p. 468. 



