PLANT 20.
This long-styled plant, of the same parentage with the two last mid-styled plants, and freely fertilised in the same manner, yielded an average from ten capsules of 69.6 seeds, with a maximum of 83 and a minimum of 52: hence this plant produced 75 per cent of the full number of seeds.]
CLASS 5. ILLEGITIMATE PLANTS RAISED FROM A SHORT-STYLED PARENT FERTILISED WITH POLLEN FROM THE MID-LENGTH STAMENS OF THE LONG-STYLED FORM.
In the four previous classes, plants raised from the three forms fertilised with pollen from either the longer or shorter stamens of the same form, but generally not from the same plant, have been described. Six other illegitimate unions are possible, namely, between the three forms and the stamens in the other two forms which do not correspond in height with their pistils. But I succeeded in raising plants from only three of these six unions. From one of them, forming the present Class 5, twelve plants were raised; these consisted of eight short- styled, and four long-styled plants, with not one mid-styled. These twelve plants never attained quite their full and proper height, but by no means deserved to be called dwarfs. The anthers in some of the flowers were contabescent. One plant was remarkable from all the longer stamens in every flower and from many of the shorter ones having their anthers in this condition. The pollen of four other plants, in which none of the anthers were contabescent, was examined; in one a moderate number of grains were minute and shrivelled, but in the other three they appeared perfectly sound. With respect to the power of producing seed, five plants (Numbers 21 to 25) were observed: one yielded scarcely more than half the normal number; a second was slightly infertile; but the three others actually produced a larger average number of seeds, with a higher maximum, than the standard. In my concluding remarks I shall recur to this fact, which at first appears inexplicable.