Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- CHAPTER I INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
- CHAPTER II CONVOLVULACEÆ
- CHAPTER III SCROPHULARIACEÆ, GESNERIACEÆ, LABIATÆ, ETC
- IV CRUCIFERÆ, PAPAVERACEÆ, RESEDACEÆ, ETC
- CHAPTER V GERANIACEÆ, LEGUMINOSÆ, ONAGRACEÆ, ETC
- CHAPTER VI SOLANACEÆ PRIMULACEÆ, POLYGONEÆ, ETC
- CHAPTER VII SUMMARY OF THE HEIGHTS AND WEIGHTS OF THE CROSSED AND SELF-FERTILISED PLANTS
- CHAPTER VIII DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CROSSED AND SELF-FERTILISED PLANTS IN CONSTITUTIONAL VIGOUR AND IN OTHER RESPECTS
- CHAPTER IX THE EFFECTS OF CROSS-FERTILISATION AND SELF-FERTILISATION ON THE PRODUCTION OF SEEDS
- CHAPTER X MEANS OF FERTILISATION
- CHAPTER XI THE HABITS OF INSECTS IN RELATION TO THE FERTILISATION OF FLOWERS
- CHAPTER XII GENERAL RESULTS
- INDEX
CHAPTER VIII - DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CROSSED AND SELF-FERTILISED PLANTS IN CONSTITUTIONAL VIGOUR AND IN OTHER RESPECTS
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 August 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- CHAPTER I INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
- CHAPTER II CONVOLVULACEÆ
- CHAPTER III SCROPHULARIACEÆ, GESNERIACEÆ, LABIATÆ, ETC
- IV CRUCIFERÆ, PAPAVERACEÆ, RESEDACEÆ, ETC
- CHAPTER V GERANIACEÆ, LEGUMINOSÆ, ONAGRACEÆ, ETC
- CHAPTER VI SOLANACEÆ PRIMULACEÆ, POLYGONEÆ, ETC
- CHAPTER VII SUMMARY OF THE HEIGHTS AND WEIGHTS OF THE CROSSED AND SELF-FERTILISED PLANTS
- CHAPTER VIII DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CROSSED AND SELF-FERTILISED PLANTS IN CONSTITUTIONAL VIGOUR AND IN OTHER RESPECTS
- CHAPTER IX THE EFFECTS OF CROSS-FERTILISATION AND SELF-FERTILISATION ON THE PRODUCTION OF SEEDS
- CHAPTER X MEANS OF FERTILISATION
- CHAPTER XI THE HABITS OF INSECTS IN RELATION TO THE FERTILISATION OF FLOWERS
- CHAPTER XII GENERAL RESULTS
- INDEX
Summary
Greater constitutional Vigour of crossed Plants.—As in almost all my experiments an equal number of crossed and self-fertilised seeds, or more commonly seedlings just beginning to sprout, were planted on the opposite sides of the same pots, they had to compete with one another; and the greater height, weight, and fertility of the crossed plants may be attributed to their possessing greater innate constitutional vigour. Generally the plants of the two lots whilst very young were of equal height; but afterwards the crossed gained insensibly on their opponents, and this shows that they possessed some inherent superiority, though not displayed at a very early period of life. There were, however, some conspicuous exceptions to the rule of the two lots being at first equal in height; thus the crossed seedlings of the broom (Sarothamnus seoparius) when under three inches in height were more than twice as tall as the self-fertilised plants.
After the crossed or the self-fertilised plants had once grown decidedly taller than their opponents, a still increasing advantage would tend to follow from the stronger plants robbing the weaker ones of nourishment and overshadowing them. This was evidently the case with the crossed plants of Viola tricolor, which ultimately quite overwhelmed the self-fertilised. But that the crossed plants have an inherent superiority, independently of competition, was sometimes well shown when both lots were planted separately, not far distant from one another, in good soil in the open ground.
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- Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2009First published in: 1876