27. POLYGONEAE.--Fagopyrum esculentum.
This plant was discovered by Hildebrand to be heterostyled, that is, to
present, like the species of Primula, a long-styled and a short-styled
form, which are adapted for reciprocal fertilisation. Therefore the
following comparison of the growth of the crossed and self-fertilised
seedlings is not fair, for we do not know whether the difference in
their heights may not be wholly due to the illegitimate fertilisation of
the self-fertilised flowers.
I obtained seeds by legitimately crossing flowers on long-styled and
short-styled plants, and by fertilising other flowers on both forms with
pollen from the same plant. Rather more seeds were obtained by the
former than by the latter process; and the legitimately crossed seeds
were heavier than an equal number of the illegitimately self-fertilised
seeds, in the ratio of 100 to 82. Crossed and self-fertilised seeds from
the short-styled parents, after germinating on sand, were planted in
pairs on the opposite sides of a large pot; and two similar lots of
seeds from long-styled parents were planted in a like manner on the
opposite sides of two other pots. In all three pots the legitimately
crossed seedlings, when a few inches in height, were taller than the
self-fertilised; and in all three pots they flowered before them by one
or two days. When fully grown they were all cut down close to the
ground, and as I was pressed for time, they were placed in a long row,
the cut end of one plant touching the tip of another, and the total
length of the legitimately crossed plants was 47 feet 7 inches, and of
the illegitimately self-fertilised plants 32 feet 8 inches.
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