J. A. Harris 
59 
Hibiscus syriacus, L. 
This tall exotic shrub grows admirably in many of our gardens where it is 
sometimes used as a hedge plant. For about five years I have been engaged in a 
study of some of the phases of fertility and fecundity in these fruits and the results 
bearing on our present problem may be considered here. 
The material consists of three collections from a fine row of young shrubs in 
the Missouri Botanical Garden at St Louis, and one from much older plants near 
the shore at Cold Spring Harbor. The St Louis collections were made in the 
autumns of 1905, 1907 and 1908. In 1905, 1000 fruits were taken as a random 
sample from about 35 shrubs in a hedge in the main garden. In 1907, the shrubs 
were studied during the flowering season as well, with the result that one was 
found to bear purple instead of white flowers ; this was omitted and about 100 
fruits each from 34 white-flowered individuals taken — altogether 3393 fruits. 
In 1908, it was impossible because of the pressure of other work to take up 
Hibiscus until many of the fruits had dehisced. Furthermore, the shrubs had 
grown so tall that it had been necessary to cut them back during the season of 
growth, and since whole inflorescences were wanted the collection was chiefly con- 
fined to those lower on the plant which had escaped the shears. Again the same 
34 plants were visited; 100 fruits could be obtained from some but not from all, so 
only 2364 were secured. 
TABLE VI. Hibiscus syriacus. 
Total Ovules per Pod. 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
30 
31 
32 
33 
34 
M. B. G., 1905 ... 
3 
2 
4 
18 
45 
107 
188 
125 
81 
80 
80 
M. B. G., 1907 ... 
3 
3 
4 
8 
12 
37 
70 
261 
1025 
379 
272 
247 
205 
M. B. G., 1908 ... 
1 
3 
5 
4 
22 
88 
875 
335 
263 
160 
142 
G. S. H., 1S08, A 
7 
7 
22 
57 
48 
60 
71 
68 
C. S. H., 1908, B 
1 
5 
2 
6 
TABLE VI. (continued). 
35 
36 
37 
38 
39 
40 
41 
42 
43 
u 
45 
46 
47 
48 
49 
50 
51 
Totals 
85 
54 
54 
34 
27 
13 
1000 
191 
173 
140 
141 
121 
85 
14 
1 
1 
3393 
118 
101 
90 
57 
54 
43 
3 
2364 
70 
117 
151 
201 
294 
322 
67 
17 
5 
7 
1 
1 
1 
1594 
12 
18 
20 
17 
29 
15 
23 
33 
50 
53 
64 
84 
67 
58 
5 
2 
1 
565 
The Cold Spring Harbor fruits were a random sample from large plants per- 
haps ten feet in height, forming a close untrimmed hedge about six rods long. An 
estimate of the number of individuals was not made because of the large amount 
of branching from the ground. These plants — so far as flowers still remained at 
the time I visited them — belonged to a dark purple variety. 
8—2 
