These
stigmas were nearly as globular and as smooth as in the short-styled form,
instead of being elongated and rough as in the long-styled form. Here, then, we
have combined in the same flower, the short stamens of the long-styled form with
a pistil closely resembling that of the short-styled form. But the structure
varied much even on the same umbel: for in two flowers the pistil was
intermediate in length between that of the long and that of the short-styled
form, with the stigma elongated as in the former, and smooth as in the latter;
and in three other flowers the structure was in all respects like that of the
long-styled form. These modifications appeared to me so remarkable that I
fertilised eight of the flowers with their own pollen, and obtained five
capsules, which contained on an average 43 seeds; and this number shows that the
flowers had become abnormally fertile in comparison with those of ordinary long-
styled plants when self-fertilised. I was thus led to examine the plants in
several small collections, and the result showed that the equal-styled variety
was not rare.
TABLE 5.31. Primula Sinensis. Preponderance of long-styled over the short-styled
form.
Column 1: Name of owner or place.
Column 2: Long-styled form.
Column 3: Short-styled form.
Column 4: equal-styled variety.
Mr. Horwood : 0 : 0 : 17.
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