I must here state that I have found some difficulty in estimating the normal
standard of fertility for the several unions of this species, as the results
differ much during successive years, and the seeds vary so greatly in size that
it is hard to decide which ought to be considered good. In order to avoid over-
estimating the infertility of the several illegitimate unions, I have taken the
normal standard as low as possible.
From the foregoing twenty-seven illegitimate plants, fertilised with their own-
form pollen, twenty-five seedling grandchildren were raised; and these were all
long-styled; so that from the two illegitimate generations fifty-two plants were
raised, and all without exception proved long-styled. These grandchildren grew
vigorously, and soon exceeded in height two other lots of illegitimate seedlings
of different parentage and one lot of equal-styled seedlings presently to be
described. Hence I expected that they would have turned out highly ornamental
plants; but when they flowered, they seemed, as my gardener remarked, to have
gone back to the wild state; for the petals were pale-coloured, narrow,
sometimes not touching each other, flat, generally deeply notched in the middle,
but not flexuous on the margin, and with the yellow eye or centre conspicuous.
Altogether these flowers were strikingly different from those of their
progenitors; and this I think, can only be accounted for on the principle of
reversion.
Pages:
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292