If these
florets had opened for a short time unperceived by me and had then closed again,
the empty anthers would have been left dangling outside. Nevertheless they
yielded on August 17th an abundance of fine ripe seeds. Here then we have a near
approach to the single case as yet known of this grass producing in a state of
nature (in Germany) perfect flowers which yielded a copious supply of fruit.
(8/26. Dr. Ascherson 'Botanische Zeitung' 1864 page 350.) Seeds from the
cleistogamic flowers were sent by me to Mr. Scott in Calcutta, who there
cultivated the plants in various ways, but they never produced perfect flowers.
In Europe Leersia oryzoides is the sole representative of its genus, and Duval-
Jouve, after examining several exotic species, found that it apparently is the
sole one which bears cleistogamic flowers. It ranges from Persia to North
America, and specimens from Pennsylvania resembled the European ones in their
concealed manner of fructification. There can therefore be little doubt that
this plant generally propagates itself throughout an immense area by
cleistogamic seeds, and that it can hardly ever be invigorated by cross-
fertilisation. It resembles in this respect those plants which are now widely
spread, though they increase solely by asexual generation. (8/27. I have
collected several such cases in my 'Variation under Domestication' chapter 18
2nd edition volume 2 page 153.
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