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Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882

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

3 rather poor seeds, with a maximum of 88 and
a minimum of 57. Hence this plant produced 82 per cent of the proper number of
seeds. Twelve flowers enclosed in a net were artificially and legitimately
fertilised with pollen from a legitimate short-styled plant; and nine capsules
yielded an average of 82.5 seeds, with a maximum of 98 and a minimum of 51; so
that its fertility was increased by the action of pollen from a legitimate
plant, but still did not reach the normal standard.]
CLASS 4. ILLEGITIMATE PLANTS RAISED FROM A MID-STYLED PARENT FERTILISED WITH
POLLEN FROM OWN-FORM LONGEST STAMENS.
After two trials, I succeeded in raising only four plants from this illegitimate
union. These proved to be three mid-styled and one long-styled; but from so
small a number we can hardly judge of the tendency in mid-styled plants when
self-fertilised to reproduce the same form. These four plants never attained
their full and normal height; the long-styled plant had several of its anthers
contabescent.
[PLANT 18.
This mid-styled plant, when freely and legitimately fertilised during 1865 by
illegitimate plants descended from self-fertilised long-, short-, and mid-styled
plants, yielded an average from ten capsules of 102.6 seeds, with a maximum of
131 and a minimum of 63: hence this plant did not produce quite 80 per cent of
the normal number of seeds.


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