6oo 



ON THE GERMINATION 



parts of fructification, abortive. On the other 

 side, the external valve of the floret, now become 

 the first leaf, is folded down, to shew the inner 

 valve, in its original state. On examining a vi- 

 viparous specimen of Poa alpin'a, brought among 

 other plants last summer from Iceland by Sir 

 George Mackenzie and his party, I found, in se- 

 veral instances, both valves of the florets, on each 

 side, in the lowest part of the spikelet, like the 

 other parts of fructification, abortive, and a plant 

 shot from between them ; the germination of buds 

 from the panicle taking place independent of the 

 conversion of the floret- valves into leaves. It is 

 evident, that Linnaeus had formed no settled opi- 

 nion as to the nature of this process : " Germen/' 

 he observes, " in folia immediate procrescat 

 And afterwards, " Numne germen absque fce- 

 " cundatione in rudimento novi germinis excres- 

 cat f ?" Now, supposing this question were an- 

 swered affirmatively, What is the nature of this 

 new germen, producing a progeny without uol- 

 len ? It must necessarily differ from the first : 

 For " Ovum non fcecundatum germinare, negat 

 " omnis experientia J." In fact, no new germen 

 is formed. But the resources of Nature, or ra- 



* Amcenitates Acad. vol. vii., Fundamenta Agrost©* 

 graph. (Henrico Gaghn.) 



f Nova genera Graminum, (Erico Naezen.) 

 % Philosophia Botan, v. 138. 



