) An objection to the above view should not be
passed over; namely, that the abortion of the stamens in the females ought to
have added through the law of compensation to the size of the corolla; and this
perhaps would have occurred, had not the expenditure saved by the abortion of
the stamens been directed to the female reproductive organs, so as to give to
this form increased fertility.
CHAPTER VIII.
CLEISTOGAMIC FLOWERS.
General character of cleistogamic flowers.
List of the genera producing such flowers, and their distribution in the
vegetable series.
Viola, description of the cleistogamic flowers in the several species; their
fertility compared with that of the perfect flowers.
Oxalis acetosella.
O. sensitiva, three forms of cleistogamic flowers.
Vandellia.
Ononis.
Impatiens.
Drosera.
Miscellaneous observations on various other cleistogamic plants.
Anemophilous species producing cleistogamic flowers.
Leersia, perfect flowers rarely developed.
Summary and concluding remarks on the origin of cleistogamic flowers.
The chief conclusions which may be drawn from the observations in this volume.
It was known even before the time of Linnaeus that certain plants produced two
kinds of flowers, ordinary open, and minute closed ones; and this fact formerly
gave rise to warm controversies about the sexuality of plants.
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