Prev | Current Page 404 | Next

Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882

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


Dr. Kuhn, in the article above referred to, gives a list of 44 genera including
species which bear flowers of this kind. To this list I have added some genera,
and the authorities are appended in a footnote. I have omitted three names, from
reasons likewise given in the footnote. But it is by no means easy to decide in
all cases whether certain flowers ought to be ranked as cleistogamic. For
instance, Mr. Bentham informs me that in the South of France some of the flowers
on the vine do not fully open and yet set fruit; and I hear from two experienced
gardeners that this is the case with the vine in our hothouses; but as the
flowers do not appear to be completely closed it would be imprudent to consider
them as cleistogamic. The flowers of some aquatic and marsh plants, for instance
of Ranunculus aquatalis, Alisma natans, Subularia, Illecebrum, Menyanthes, and
Euryale, remain closely shut as long as they are submerged, and in this
condition fertilise themselves. (8/2. Delpino 'Sull' Opera, la Distribuzione dei
Sessi nelle Piante' etc. 1867 page 30. Subularia, however, sometimes has its
flowers fully expanded beneath the water, see Sir J.E. Smith 'English Flora'
volume 3 1825 page 157. For the behaviour of Menyanthes in Russia see Gillibert
in 'Act. Acad. St. Petersb.' 1777 part 2 page 45.--On Euryale 'Gardener's
Chronicle' 1877 page 280.


Pages:
392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416