Cases of an opposite nature likewise occur, namely, plants with the female
organs struck with sterility, whilst the male organs remain perfect. Dianthus
japonicus, a Passiflora, and Nicotiana, have been described by Gartner (18/89.
'Bastarderzengung' s. 356.) as being in this unusual condition.
MONSTROSITIES AS A CAUSE OF STERILITY.
Great deviations of structure, even when the reproductive organs themselves
are not seriously affected, sometimes cause plants to become sterile. But in
other cases plants may become monstrous to an extreme degree and yet retain
their full fertility. Gallesio, who certainly had great experience (18/90.
'Teoria della Riproduzione' 1816 page 84; 'Traite du Citrus' 1811 page 67.),
often attributes sterility to this cause; but it may be suspected that in some
of his cases sterility was the cause, and not the result, of the monstrous
growths. The curious St. Valery apple, although it bears fruit, rarely
produces seed. The wonderfully anomalous flowers of Begonia frigida, formerly
described, though they appear fit for fructification, are sterile. (18/91. Mr.
C.W. Crocker in 'Gardener's Chronicle' 1861 page 1092.) Species of Primula in
which the calyx is brightly coloured are said (18/92. Verlot 'Des Varietes'
1865 page 80.) to be often sterile, though I have known them to be fertile. On
the other hand, Verlot gives several cases of proliferous flowers which can be
propagated by seed. This was the case with a poppy, which had become
monopetalous by the union of its petals. (18/93. Verlot ibid page 88.) Another
extraordinary poppy, with the stamens replaced by numerous small supplementary
capsules, likewise reproduces itself by seed. This has also occurred with a
plant of Saxifraga geum, in which a series of adventitious carpels, bearing
ovules on their margins, had been developed between the stamens and the normal
carpels (18/94. Prof. Allman, Brit. Assoc., quoted in the 'Phytologist' volume
2 page 483. Prof. Harvey, on the authority of Mr. Andrews, who discovered the
plant, informed me that this monstrosity could be propagated by seed. With
respect to the poppy see Prof. Goeppert as quoted in 'Journal of Horticulture'
July 1, 1863 page 171.) Lastly, with respect to peloric flowers, which depart
wonderfully from the natural structure,--those of Linaria vulgaris seem
generally to be more or less sterile, whilst those before described of
Antirrhinum majus, when artificially fertilised with their own pollen, are
perfectly fertile, though sterile when left to themselves, for bees are unable
to crawl into the narrow tubular flower. The peloric flowers of Corydalis
solida, according to Godron (18/95. 'Comptes Rendus' December 19, 1864 page
1039.), are sometimes barren and sometimes fertile; whilst those of Gloxinia
are well known to yield plenty of seed. In our greenhouse Pelargoniums, the
central flower of the truss is often peloric, and Mr. Masters informs me that
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