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
We will now turn to the fertility of the 53 illegitimate long-styled
grandchildren, descended from the long-styled plant which was first fertilised
with its own pollen. The pollen in two of these plants included a multitude of
small and shrivelled grains. Nevertheless they were not very sterile; for 25
flowers, fertilised with their own pollen, produced 15 capsules, containing an
average of 16.3 seeds. As already stated, the probable average with legitimate
plants for a union of this nature is rather above 20 seeds. These plants were
remarkably healthy and vigorous, as long as they were kept under highly
favourable conditions in pots in the greenhouse; and such treatment greatly
increases the fertility of the cowslip. When these same plants were planted
during the next year (which, however, was an unfavourable one), out of doors in
good soil, 20 self-fertilised flowers produced only 5 capsules, containing
extremely few and wretched seeds.
Four long-styled great-grandchildren were raised from the self-fertilised
grandchildren, and were kept under the same highly favourable conditions in the
greenhouse; 10 of their flowers were fertilised with own-form pollen and yielded
the large proportion of 6 capsules, containing on an average 18.7 seeds. From
these seeds 20 long-styled great-great-grandchildren were raised, which were
likewise kept in the greenhouse. Thirty of their flowers were fertilised with
their own pollen and yielded 17 capsules, containing on an average no less than
32, mostly fine seeds. It appears, therefore, that the fertility of these plants
of the fourth illegitimate generation, as long as they were kept under highly
favourable conditions, had not decreased, but had rather increased. The result,
however, was widely different when they were planted out of doors in good soil,
where other cowslips grew vigorously and were completely fertile; for these
illegitimate plants now became much dwarfed in stature and extremely sterile,
notwithstanding that they were exposed to the visits of insects, and must have
been legitimately fertilised by the surrounding legitimate plants. A whole row
of these plants of the fourth illegitimate generation, thus freely exposed and
legitimately fertilised, produced only 3 capsules, containing on an average only
17 seeds. During the ensuing winter almost all these plants died, and the few
survivors were miserably unhealthy, whilst the surrounding legitimate plants
were not in the least injured.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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