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Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882

"The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species"

2 seeds.
TABLE 4.24.4. Illegitimate union.
15 flowers fertilised by the longest stamens of the short-styled.
130 86
115 113
14 29
6 17
2 113
9 79
- 128
132 0
93 percent of these flowers yielded capsules. Each capsule contained, on an
average, 69.5 seeds; or, excluding capsules with less than 20 seeds, the average
is 102.8 seeds.
TABLE 4.24.5. Illegitimate union.
12 flowers fertilised by own-form longest stamens.
92 0
9 0
63 0
- 0
136?* 0
0 0
0
(4/6. * I have hardly a doubt that this result of 136 seeds in Table 4.24.5 was
due to a gross error. The flowers to be fertilised by their own longest stamens
were first marked by "white thread," and those by the mid-length stamens of the
long-styled form by "white silk;" a flower fertilised in the later manner would
have yielded about 136 seeds, and it may be observed that one such pod is
missing, namely at the bottom of Table 4.24.1. Therefore I have hardly any doubt
that I fertilised a flower marked with "white thread" as if it had been marked
with "white silk." With respect to the capsule which yielded 92 seeds, in the
same column with that which yielded 136, I do not know what to think. I
endeavoured to prevent pollen dropping from an upper to a lower flower, and I
tried to remember to wipe the pincers carefully after each fertilisation; but in
making eighteen different unions, sometimes on windy days, and pestered by bees
and flies buzzing about, some few errors could hardly be avoided.


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