CX PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE. 



May 12, 1908. 



Mr. E. A. Bowles, M.A., F.L.S., in the Chair, with ten members 

 present, and Rev. A. R. Upcher, Visitor. 



Malformed Narcissus. — Mr. \Yorsdell, F.L.S., reported that he had 

 examined the malformed Narcissus 1 J. T. Bennett-Poo ' sent by Messrs. 

 Hogg & Robertson, and found that the flower exhibited signs of fasciation, 

 but this was only partial, since the perianth segments were only nine in 

 number, as were the stamens ; there were, however, two normal ovaries, 

 each with its full complement of three carpels. The style was somewhat 

 flattened, and springing from its base was a branch which was probably a 

 second style. This had become petaloid and tubular, and in the tube thus 

 formed a third style had developed. 



Fasciation in Narcissus. — Mr. Odell sent flowers of Narcissus 

 1 Emperor,' which had been produced after all the normal flowers in the bed 

 had died off, and which were fasciated, some having flattened stems 

 bearing at the apex three flowers, each on a separate pedicel, others having 

 the fasciation carried farther, so that the flowers themselves were 

 coherent. 



Peloric Calceolaria. — Mr. Tysoe, Lodge Gardens, Bedford, sent 

 flowers of Calceolaria showing regular peloria. All the flowers on the 

 main branches of the inflorescences of two plants exhibited this pheno- 

 menon. 



Primulas. — Mr. Douglas, V.M.H., showed on behalf of the Right 

 Hon. the Earl of Waldegrave some flowers of the green Primrose, in 

 which the corolla is virescent and the stamens are but imperfectly formed. 

 Rev. A. R. Upcher, M.A., of Halesworth, Suffolk, showed a large number 

 of flowers of Polyanthus of large size and much substance, and many 

 with a very distinct eye. The calyx was large and very broadly campanu- 

 late in most of the flowers. Mr. Upcher had started some thirty years 

 since with the old "butter" Polyanthus, and had pollinated this with 

 pollen from Primula sinensis and P. Auricula; but although con- 

 siderable variation in many directions was observable in the flowers 

 shown, the committee did not consider that there was any evidence that 

 the pollen of these species had had any effect in producing the results 

 obtained. Some of the forms had fringed petals, and others smooth- 

 edged petals, the petals in some were remarkably broad, the " eye " was 

 well marked, and contrasted with the remainder of the corolla in some, 

 while in others the deep colour was suffused over the whole of the petals. 

 The collection showed in a marked manner the variation obtainable in 

 Polyanthus through cultivation without the introduction of new blood. 

 Mr. Bowles showed a number of flowers of P. officinalis from a wild source 

 lacking the deep yellow spot which is usually to be found in the flowers 



