[ 250 ] 



32. Plants Hybrids, J, Haartman. 1751. 



The fubjedl of this paper is very interfcing in 

 botanic fcience j and being as yet fomewhat pro- 

 blematical, has exercifed the pens of feveral inge- 

 nious men, but of none perhaps more fuccefsfully 

 than that of the late Dr. Gmelht, in his Sermo aca- 

 demicus^ denovonm vegetahilium ortii. Tubing, 1749. 

 Mr. Uaartman allows thepoflibility of this origin or 

 new creation of vegetables, arifing from the influ- 

 ence of the farina of one fpecies upon the fifiil of 

 another, either of the fame or of a different gems>i 

 thus producing what is called a Hybrid plant. In- 

 ftances of this admixture, and produ£lion of mon- 

 fiers in the vegetable kingdom, have been fre- 

 qiient j but, as in the animal kingdom, the^ have 

 not ufqally been found to perpetuate themfelves 

 by producing fertile feeds. The general effect of 

 culture, and the immenfe number of fpecies, with 

 which, particularly, many of the African genera 

 abound, fuch as the Geranium^ Erica^ Mefemhry- 

 mthemurn^ &c. very much favour this hypothefis, 

 A catalogue is given of 34 fpecies of well- 

 Known plants, fuppofed to have originated in 

 this manner, fpecifying thofe alfo frorn which 

 they are fufpeded to have fprung and a compa- 

 rifon is made between the feveral parts and habit 

 of each, with the correfponding hybrid offspring, 

 to ihew the probability of this origin. Another lift 

 of many other plants follows, in which the traces 

 are not fo flrongly marked. Among the Englifh 

 indigenous plants^ thought to have thus originated, 



we 



