The Effects of Cross & Self-Fertilisation in the Vegetable KingdomDarwin, Charles
Science
The Effects of Cross & Self-Fertilisation in the Vegetable Kingdom
Darwin, Charles
Fertilization of plants; Plants -- Variation; Pollination
The ten tallest self-fertilised plants produced only 44 capsules,
weighing 22.35 grains. Therefore 100 of these capsules would have
weighed 50.79 grains.
From these data we get the following ratios for the fertility of the
three lots, as deduced from the relative weights of an equal number of
capsules from the finest plants in each lot:--
Westerham-crossed plants to self-fertilised plants as 100 to 46.
Westerham-crossed plants to intercrossed plants as 100 to 54.
Intercrossed plants to self-fertilised plants as 100 to 86.
We here see how potent the influence of a cross with pollen from a fresh
stock has been on the fertility of plants self-fertilised for four
generations, in comparison with plants of the old stock when either
intercrossed or self-fertilised for five generations; the flowers on all
these plants having been left to be freely crossed by insects or to
fertilise themselves. The Westerham-crossed plants were also much taller
and heavier plants than the self-fertilised, both in the pots and open
ground; but they were less tall and heavy than the intercrossed plants.
This latter result, however, would almost certainly have been reversed,
if the plants had been allowed to grow for another month, as the
Westerham-crossed were still growing vigorously, whilst the intercrossed
had almost ceased to grow. This case reminds us of the somewhat
analogous one of Eschscholtzia, in which plants raised from a cross with
a fresh stock did not grow higher than the self-fertilised or
intercrossed plants, but produced a greater number of seed-capsules,
which contained a far larger average number of seeds.
COLOUR OF THE FLOWERS ON THE ABOVE THREE LOTS OF PLANTS.
The original mother-plant, from which the five successive
self-fertilised generations were raised, bore dingy purple flowers. At
no time was any selection practised, and the plants were subjected in
each generation to extremely uniform conditions. The result was, as in
some previous cases, that the flowers on all the self-fertilised plants,
both in the pots and open ground, were absolutely uniform in tint; this
being a dull, rather peculiar flesh colour. This uniformity was very
striking in the long row of plants growing in the open ground, and these
first attracted my attention. I did not notice in which generation the
original colour began to change and to become uniform, but I have every
reason to believe that the change was gradual. The flowers on the
intercrossed plants were mostly of the same tint, but not nearly so
uniform as those on the self-fertilised plants, and many of them were
pale, approaching almost to white. The flowers on the plants from the
cross with the purple-flowered Westerham stock were, as might have been
expected, much more purple and not nearly so uniform in tint. The
self-fertilised plants were also remarkably uniform in height, as judged
by the eye; the intercrossed less so, whilst the Westerham-crossed
plants varied much in height.
Nicotiana tabacum.
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