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
A fine plant growing in my garden (one of the foregoing seedlings) was
covered with a net, and six flowers were crossed with pollen from
another flower on the same plant, and six others were fertilised with
their own pollen. All produced good capsules. The seeds from each were
placed in separate watch-glasses, and no difference could be perceived
by the eye between the two lots of seeds; and when they were weighed
there was no difference of any significance, as the seeds from the
self-fertilised capsules weighed 7.65 grains, whilst those from the
crossed capsules weighed 7.7 grains. Therefore the sterility of the
present species, when insects are excluded, is not due to the impotence
of pollen on the stigma of the same flower. Both lots of seeds and
seedlings were treated in exactly the same manner as in Table 3/23,
excepting that after the pairs of germinating seeds had been planted on
the opposite sides of eight pots, all the remaining seeds were thickly
sown on the opposite sides of Pots 9 and 10 in Table 3/24. The young
plants during the following spring were turned out of their pots,
without being disturbed, and planted in the open ground in two rows, not
very close together, so that they were subjected to only moderately
severe competition with one another. Very differently to what occurred
in the first experiment, when the plants were subjected to somewhat
severe mutual competition, an equal number on each side either died or
did not produce flower-stems. The tallest flower-stems on the surviving
plants were measured, as shown in Table 3/24.
TABLE 3/24. Digitalis purpurea.
The tallest Flower-stem on each Plant measured in inches: 0 signifies
that the Plant died, or did not produce a Flower-stem.
Column 1: Number (Name) of Pot.
Column 2: Plants raised from a Cross between different Flowers on the
same Plant.
Column 3: Plants raised from Flowers fertilised with their own Pollen.
Pot 1 : 49 4/8 : 45 5/8.
Pot 1 : 46 7/8 : 52.
Pot 1 : 43 6/8 : 0.
Pot 2 : 38 4/8 : 54 4/8.
Pot 2 : 47 4/8 : 47 4/8.
Pot 2 : 0 : 32 5/8.
Pot 3 : 54 7/8 : 46 5/8.
Pot 4 : 32 1/8 : 41 3/8.
Pot 4 : 0 : 29 7/8.
Pot 4 : 43 7/8 : 37 1/8.
Pot 5 : 46 6/8 : 42 1/8.
Pot 5 : 40 4/8 : 42 1/8.
Pot 5 : 43 : 0.
Pot 6 : 48 2/8 : 47 7/8.
Pot 6 : 46 2/8 : 48 3/8.
Pot 7 : 48 5/8 : 25.
Pot 7 : 42 : 40 5/8.
Pot 8 : 46 7/8 : 39 1/8.
Pot 9 : 49 : 30 3/8.
Pot 9 : 50 3/8 : 15.
Pot 9 : 46 3/8 : 36 7/8.
Pot 9 : 47 6/8 : 44 1/8.
Pot 9 : 0 : 31 6/8.
Crowded Plants.
Pot 10 : 46 4/8 : 47 7/8.
Pot 10 : 35 2/8 : 0.
Pot 10 : 24 5/8 : 34 7/8.
Pot 10 : 41 4/8 : 40 7/8.
Pot 10 : 17 3/8 : 41 1/8.
Crowded Plants.
Total : 1078.00 : 995.38.
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