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 subject of the present volume, namely the differently formed flowers
normally produced by certain kinds of plants, either on the same stock or on
distinct stocks, ought to have been treated by a professed botanist, to which
distinction I can lay no claim. As far as the sexual relations of flowers are
concerned, Linnaeus long ago divided them into hermaphrodite, monoecious,
dioecious, and polygamous species. This fundamental distinction, with the aid of
several subdivisions in each of the four classes, will serve my purpose; but the
classification is artificial, and the groups often pass into one another.
The hermaphrodite class contains two interesting sub-groups, namely,
heterostyled and cleistogamic plants; but there are several other less important
subdivisions, presently to be given, in which flowers differing in various ways
from one another are produced by the same species.
Some plants were described by me several years ago, in a series of papers read
before the Linnean Society, the individuals of which exist under two or three
forms, differing in the length of their pistils and stamens and in other
respects. (Introduction/1. “On the Two Forms or Dimorphic Condition in the
Species of Primula, and on their remarkable Sexual Relations” ‘Journal of the
Proceedings of the Linnean Society’ volume 6 1862 page 77. “On the Existence of
Two Forms, and on their Reciprocal Sexual Relation, in several Species of the
Genus Linum” Ibid volume 7 1863 page 69. “On the Sexual Relations of the Three
Forms of Lythrum salicaria” Ibid volume 8 1864 page 169. “On the Character and
Hybrid-like Nature of the Offspring from the Illegitimate Unions of Dimorphic
and Trimorphic Plants” Ibid volume 10 1868 page 393. “On the Specific
Differences between Primula veris, Brit. Fl. (var. officinalis, Linn.), P.
vulgaris, Brit. Fl. (var. acaulis, Linn.), and P. elatior, Jacq.; and on the
Hybrid Nature of the Common oxlip. With Supplementary Remarks on Naturally
Produced Hybrids in the Genus Verbascum” Ibid volume 10 1868 page 437.) They
were called by me dimorphic and trimorphic, but have since been better named by
Hildebrand, heterostyled. (Introduction/2. The term “heterostyled” does not
express all the differences between the forms; but this is a failure common in
many cases. As the term has been adopted by writers in various countries, I am
unwilling to change it for that of heterogone or heterogonous, though this has
been proposed by so high an authority as Professor Asa Gray: see the ‘American
Naturalist’ January 1877 page 42.) As I have many still unpublished observations
with respect to these plants, it has seemed to me advisable to republish my
former papers in a connected and corrected form, together with the new matter.
It will be shown that these heterostyled plants are adapted for reciprocal
fertilisation; so that the two or three forms, though all are hermaphrodites,
are related to one another almost like the males and females of ordinary
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