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
Seeds from the short-styled form of the cowslip fertilised with pollen from the
same form germinate so badly that I raised from three successive sowings only
fourteen plants, which consisted of nine short-styled and five long-styled
plants. Hence the short-styled form of the cowslip, when self-fertilised, does
not transmit the same form nearly so truly as does that of P. Sinensis. From the
long-styled form, always fertilised with its own-form pollen, I raised in the
first generation three long-styled plants,--from their seed 53 long-styled
grandchildren,--from their seed 4 long-styled great-grandchildren,--from their
seed 20 long-styled great-great-grandchildren,--and lastly, from their seed 8
long-styled and 2 short-styled great-great-great-grandchildren. In this last
generation short-styled plants appeared for the first time in the course of the
six generations,--the parent long-styled plant which was fertilised with pollen
from another plant of the same form being counted as the first generation. Their
appearance may be attributed to atavism. From two other long-styled plants,
fertilised with their own-form pollen, 72 plants were raised, which consisted of
68 long-styled and 4 short-styled. So that altogether 162 plants were raised
from illegitimately fertilised long-styled cowslips, and these consisted of 156
long-styled and 6 short-styled plants.
We will now turn to the fertility and powers of growth possessed by the
illegitimate plants. From a short-styled plant, fertilised with its own-form
pollen, one short-styled and two long-styled plants, and from a long-styled
plant similarly fertilised three long-styled plants were at first raised. The
fertility of these six illegitimate plants was carefully observed; but I must
premise that I cannot give any satisfactory standard of comparison as far as the
number of the seeds is concerned; for though I counted the seeds of many
legitimate plants fertilised legitimately and illegitimately, the number varied
so greatly during successive seasons that no one standard will serve well for
illegitimate unions made during different seasons. Moreover the seeds in the
same capsule frequently differ so much in size that it is scarcely possible to
decide which ought to be counted as good seed. There remains as the best
standard of comparison the proportional number of fertilised flowers which
produce capsules containing any seed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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