Nor were the female organs quite impotent; for I obtained
from a LEGITIMATE cross one capsule with good seed. On a second illegitimate
long-styled plant 44 flowers were fertilised during the same years with their
own pollen, but they produced only a single capsule. The third and fourth plants
were in a very slight degree more productive. The fifth and last plant was
decidedly more fertile; for 42 self-fertilised flowers yielded 11 capsules.
Altogether, in the course of the three years, no less than 160 flowers on these
five illegitimate long-styled plants were fertilised with their own pollen, but
they yielded only 22 capsules. According to the standard above given, they ought
to have yielded 80 capsules. These 22 capsules contained on an average 15.1
seeds. I believe, subject to the doubts before specified, that with legitimate
plants the average number from a union of this nature would have been above 20
seeds. Twenty-four flowers on these same five illegitimate long-styled plants
were legitimately fertilised with pollen from the above-described illegitimate
short-styled plant, and produced only 9 capsules, which is an extremely small
number for a legitimate union. These 9 capsules, however, contained an average
of 38 apparently good seeds, which is as large a number as legitimate plants
sometimes yield.
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