The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same SpeciesDarwin, Charles
Science
The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species
Darwin, Charles
Fertilization of plants; Heterostylism; Plant physiology; Plants -- Variation; Pollination
The second point which deserves notice is that florists always throw away the
long-styled plants, and save seed exclusively from the short-styled form.
Nevertheless, as Mr. Scott was informed by a man who raises this species
extensively in Scotland, about one-fourth of the seedlings appear long-styled;
so that the short-styled form of the Auricula, when fertilised by its own
pollen, does not reproduce the same form in so large a proportion as in the case
of P. Sinensis. We may further infer that the short-styled form is not rendered
quite sterile by a long course of fertilisation with pollen of the same form:
but as there would always be some liability to an occasional cross with the
other form, we cannot tell how long self-fertilisation has been continued.
Primula farinosa.
Mr. Scott says that it is not at all uncommon to find equal-styled plants of
this heterostyled species. (5/9. ‘Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean
Society’ 8 1864 page 115.) Judging from the size of the pollen-grains, these
plants owe their structure, as in the case of P. auricula, to the abnormal
elongation of the stamens of the long-styled form. In accordance with this view,
they yield less seed when crossed with the long-styled form than with the short-
styled. But they differ in an anomalous manner from the equal-styled plants of
P. auricula in being extremely sterile with their own pollen.
Primula elatior.
It was shown in the first chapter, on the authority of Herr Breitenbach, that
equal-styled flowers are occasionally found on this species whilst growing in a
state of nature; and this is the only instance of such an occurrence known to
me, with the exception of some wild plants of the Oxlip--a hybrid between P.
veris and vulgaris--which were equal-styled. Herr Breitenbach’s case is
remarkable in another way; for equal-styled flowers were found in two instances
on plants which bore both long-styled and short-styled flowers. In every other
instance these two forms and the equal-styled variety have been produced by
distinct plants.]
Primula vulgaris, BRIT. FL.
VAR. acaulis OF LINN. AND P. acaulis OF JACQ.
VAR. RUBRA.
Mr. Scott states that this variety, which grew in the Botanic Garden in
Edinburgh, was quite sterile when fertilised with pollen from the common
primrose, as well as from a white variety of the same species, but that some of
the plants, when artificially fertilised with their own pollen, yielded a
moderate supply of seed. (5/10. ‘Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean
Society’ 8 1864 page 98.) He was so kind as to send me some of these self-
fertilised seeds, from which I raised the plants immediately to be described. I
may premise that the results of my experiments on the seedlings, made on a large
scale, do not accord with those by Mr. Scott on the parent-plant.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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