VARIATION AS LIMITED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF CHARACTERS. 599 



were instances of comparative, not of total, reversion, and the plants 

 still held an intermediate position between the garden race of 

 chrysanthemums and the reputed specific ancestor.* 



(2) Hymenocallis. — Seeds of Ismene amancaes are deep shining 

 green, and smaller. Seeds of Ismene calathina are light glaucous grey- 

 green, and larger. Seeds of Ismene sulphur ea are intermediate in colour 

 and size. Now, although the seeds of the hybrid are distinguishable 

 from those of Ismene calathina by their darker colour, the reverse is the 

 case with regard to the foliage, for the leaves of the albino are much 

 darker green than either of the yellow -flowered forms, and it is a more 

 robust grower. Here yellow in the perianth is associated with dark 

 green seeds. Here white in the perianth is associated with dark green 

 leaves. 



(3) Palaver. — In the " Shirley Poppy " — a garden race— the beauti- 

 ful orange-flowered forms can often be picked out from the crimsons 

 at an early stage by the comparatively light or yellowish-green colour of 

 their foliage. 



(4) . Hippeastrum. — In the garden race of Hippeastrums, those 

 nearest H. vittatum in colour and markings of perianth have more 

 flowers than the purely red forms; the former generally four to five 

 flowers, the latter usually two. In H. vittatum (true) it is usual to 

 find four to five, six, or even seven flowers, and although I have occa- 

 sionally seen red hybrids with as many flowers, yet the garden forms 

 of to-day have usually two and never more than four flowers to the 

 umbel. Here the colour and markings are correlated with the number 

 of flowers to the umbel. 



(5) Capsicum. — The case of the red and yellow Capsicums is also 

 ir^teresting. I do not claim to have tasted every variety or alleged 

 species of Capsicum, but I have tasted a great number, and I have 

 invariably found that the " hot " tasting properties associated with 

 cayenne pepper are confined to those Capsicum fruits which have 

 pointed apices, the degree of heat varying inversely with the size of 

 the fruit, the smaller being the hotter.! Conversely, those fruits 

 with blunt apices are known as " mild " Capsicums, and among these 

 mild fruits the degree of mildness varies with the size, the largest being 

 the mildest. I 



(6) Matthiola. — There is also an interesting instance of the associa- 

 tion of characters well known to florists, and of great use to them in 

 enabling them to pick out with tolerable accuracy the double from the 

 single forms of garden stock [Matthiola species and mongrels] . For 

 the single forms are more robust, possess a more Intense shade of green in 

 the growing crown of foliage, and have rounded apices to their relatively 

 wider leaves. Conversely, the individuals which will produce double 

 flowers are not so robust, possess a yellowish-green (or lighter green) shade 

 in the crown of foliage, and have more pointed apices to their relatively 



* Plants of these partially reverted forms have been exhibited before the 

 Scientific Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society, in October 1908, and 

 on other occasions previously. 



t As an instance, " Pointed or long Calabrese " of the larger hot varieties, 

 and the true "Short Cayenne" of the shorter. 



t As an instance, " Columbus " of the largest mild varieties. 



