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Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882

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

2 seeds instead of about 64 seeds, which is
the normal average for legitimate short-styled plants legitimately crossed.
By looking back, it will be seen that I raised at first from a short-styled
plant fertilised with its own-form pollen one long-styled and seven short-styled
illegitimate seedlings. These seedlings were legitimately intercrossed, and from
their seed fifteen plants were raised, grandchildren of the first illegitimate
union, and to my surprise all proved short-styled. Twelve short-styled flowers
borne by these grandchildren were illegitimately fertilised with pollen taken
from other plants of the same lot, and produced eight capsules which contained
an average of 21.8 seeds, with a maximum of 35. These figures are rather below
the normal standard for such a union. Six flowers were also legitimately
fertilised with pollen from an illegitimate long-styled plant and produced only
three capsules, containing on an average 23.6 seeds, with a maximum of 35. Such
a union in the case of a legitimate plant ought to have yielded an average of 64
seeds, with a possible maximum of 73 seeds.
SUMMARY ON THE TRANSMISSION OF FORM, CONSTITUTION, AND FERTILITY OF THE
ILLEGITIMATE OFFSPRING OF Primula Sinensis.
In regard to the long-styled plants, their illegitimate offspring, of which
fifty-two were raised in the course of two generations, were all long-styled.


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