12 Polymorphism in the Flower of Silene maritima. 
Correlated with the differences in the flower there do not 
appear to be any constant corresponding differences in the vegetative 
organs. 
The periods of flowering for the different forms have not been 
determined as this would require continual observation of the same 
area during some three to four months in the year. That they are 
of considerable duration may be gathered from the fact that all the 
seven forms were in flower at Blakeney during the first fortnight in 
July and four of these, viz., f. inciirnbens; f. divergens ; f. lobata 
and f. foemina, were found at the Chesil Bank still bearing a few 
blooms as late as September 23rd. This much, however, can be 
said that from such observations as could be made some forms 
appear to differ in their period of maximum bloom ; f. foemina for 
instance seems to come into full flower slightly later than most of 
the other forms, whilst f. incumbens, and f. divergens, tend to flower 
early. 
The following is a tabulation of these forms, together with their 
salient floral characters :— 
Sex. Characters. 
£ ... Petals overlapping. 
£ ... Petals divergent. 
$ ... Petals divergent and involute. 
$ ... Petals with lateral lobelets. 
? ... Petals with lobelets. Androecium 
represented by staminodes. 
? ... Petals without lobelets, Androecium 
staminodal, fls., small. 
O ... Flowers double, 
Form. 
f. incumbens ... 
f. divergens 
f. involuta 
f. lobata . 
f. lobata, female 
f. foemina 
f. flore pleno ... 
EXPLANATION OF PLATE I. 
Figs, la and lb, f. incumbens. la, first series of anthers dehisced, lb, second 
series of anthers dehisced, stigmas ripe. 2, f. involuta, stigmas not yet emerged. 
3a—3c, f. lobata , shewing the lobelets and coronal scales. 4a—4c, f. foemina, 
shewing the diverging lobes and petals. 4c, calyx partially removed to shew 
the staminodes. 5, f. divergens. 6, plant of f. florepleno in its natural habitat, 
Arenaria fefloides in the foreground and f. foemina on the right. 
