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Show 378 DUD-VARIATION. CHAP. XI. divided, and not acuminated. Tho petals are considerably larger, and quito entire. There is also in tho fresh state a conspicuous, large, oblo_ng gland, full of a viscid secretion, on tho back of each of tho calycmo segments." Althcea 1·oserz.-A. double yellow IIoUyock suddenly turned one year into n. pure white single kind; subsequently n. branch bearing tho ori~inll.l double yellow flowers reappeared in tho midst of tho branches of tho smglo white kind.21 P c:largon'ittm.-Thcso J1ighly cultivated plants seem eminently liable to bud-variation. I will give only a few well-marked cases. Ghrtncr Juts seen 22 a plant of P. zonale wi.th a brn,nch having white-edged Jc:w s, which remained com;tant for ycn,rs, and bore flowers of a deeper red than usual. Generally speaking, such branches present little or no difference in their flowers : thus a writer 23 pinched off the leading sJ1oot of a seedling P. zonale, and it tlu·cw out three branches, which cliflcrcd in tho size and colour of their leaves and stems; but on all three branches "tho flowers were identical," except in being largest in tho grccn-stcmmod variety, and smallest in that with variegated foliage: these three varieties were subsequently propagated and <listributod. Many branches, nnd some whole pl:tnts, of a variety called compaclttm, which boars orange-scarlet flowers, h:wo been soon to produce pink flowcrs. 24 IIill's IIcctor, which is a palo red variety, produced a branch with lilac flowers, and some trusses with both red a11d lilac flowers. This apparently is a case of reversion, for IIill's Hector was n, seedling from a lilac varicty.25 Of all Pclargoniums, Rollisson's Unique scorns to bo tho most sportive; its origin is not positively !mown, hut is believed to be from a cross. Mr. Salter·, of IIammcrsmith, states 26 that he has himself known this purple variety to pro<luco the lilac, the rose-crimson or conspicuum, and tho red or coccinemn varieties; the latter has also produced tho rose d'arnour; so that altogether four varieties have originated by bud variation from Rollisson's Unique. Mr. Salter remarks that these four varieties "may now be considered as fixed, although they " occasionally produce flowers of the original colour. 'rhis year coccinemn "has pushed flowers of three different colour , red, rose, and lilac, upon " tho same truss, and upon other trusses are flowers half red and half "lilac." Besides these four vaTictics, two other scarlet Uniqucs arc ]mown to exist, both of which occasionally produce lilac flowers identical with Rollis ·on's Unique; 27 but ono at least of these did not arise through bud-variation, bnt is believed to be a seedling from Rolli. son's Uniquc.~8 There arc, also, in the trade 2u two other slightly different varieties, of unlmown origin, of Rollisson's Unique : so that altogether we havo a cmiously complex caso 21 'Revue ITorlicole,' quoted in' Gard. Chron.,' 184.5, p. 475. 22 ' llnstarderzeugung,' 184.9, s. 76. 23 'Journal of Horticulture,' 18G1, p. B3G. 24 W. P . Ayres, in' Gardener's Chi·on.,' 1842, p. 791. ~" W. P. Ayres, idem. 2a 'Gardener's Cltron.,' 18Gl, p. 068. 27 Idem, 18G1, p. 045. 28 W. Pnul, in 'Gardener's Chron.,' 18G1, p. GUS. 29 Idem, p. 945. CHAP. XL FLOWERS. 379 ofvariation both by buds and sceds.ao An English wild plant, the Geranium pratense, when cultivated in a garden, has been seen to produce on tho same plant both blue and white, and striped blue and white fl.ow.crS.31 Uhrysanthernum.- Th:is plant frCIJ.UCntly sports, both by 1ts lateral branches and occasionally by suckers. A seedling raised by Mr. Salter hn,s produced by bud-variation six distinct sorts, five diffcrc~t . in col~ur and one in foliage, all of which arc now fi.xcd.32 Tho varwtws whiCh were first introduced from China were so excessively vn,riablc, "that it wits extremely cliflicult to tell which was tho original colom of the variety, and which was the sport." Tho same plant would produco one year only buff-coloured, and next year only rose-coloured flowers i and then would chango again, or produce n,t the same time flowers of both colours. These fl.uctun,ting varieties are now all lost, and, when a branch sports into a new variety, it can gcnomlly be propagated and kept true; but, as Mr. Salter remarks, "every sport should be thoroughly " tested in different soils before it can be really considered as :fixed, as many " have been Jmown to run back when planted in rich compost; but when " sufficient care and time arc expended in proving, there will exist little " danger of subsequent disappointment." Mr. Salter informs me t~at with all the varieties the commonest kind of bud-variation is tho~productwn of yellow flowers, and, as this is tho primordial colo:rr, these case~ may bo attributed to reversion. Mr. Saltc1· has given me a list of seven d1fforently colomcd chrysanthemums, which have all produced bmnchcs with yellow flowers· hut throe of them have also sported into other colours. With any change' of colom in the flower, the foliage generally changes in a corresponding manner in lightness or clarJrncss. Another Compositous plant, namely, Oentauria cyanus, when cultivated in a garden, not unfrcqucntly produces on tho same r~ot flowc~s or four dificrcnt colours, viz., blue, white, dark-purple, and partlColourcd.33 The flowers of A.nthcmis also vary on the same plant.34 Roses.-Many varieties of tho rose arc Jmown or are boliovccl to havo originated by bud-variation.36 1'ho common double moss-rose was imported into England from Italy about tho year 1735.36 Its origin is unlmown, but from analogy it probably arose from tho Provence rose (R. centijoliu) by bud-·variation; for branches of tho common moss-rose have several times been known to produce Provence roses, wholly or partially destitute of moss : I have seen ouc such instance, and several others have boon recorded.37 30 For other cases of bud-vnriation in this so.Jilo variety, sco 'Gardener'~:~ Chron.,' 18G1, pp. 578, GOO, 925. l1'or otlwr di~tinct cases of bud-variation in the genus Polur;;onium, see ' Uoitngc Gardener,' 1 GO, p. 191. 31 H v. W. 'I'. Brcc, in Loudon's' Go.rd. l\1a~.,· vol. viii., 18:12, p. 93. :J2 ''The Chrysanthemum, its Ili~tory :wd Cultw·c,' by J. Salter, 18G5, p. 41, &c. 33 Brce, in Louclon's ' Gnrd. Mug.,' vol. viii., 1832, P· 03. 3 1 Bronn, ' Gcschichte dcr N atur,' B. ii. s. 123. a:; '1'. JUvcrs,' Rose Amateur's Guide,' 18:17, ]1. 4. 36 Mr. Sltnilcr, quoted in 'Gm·dener's Chron.,' 18'.1:8, p. 750. 3i 'Transact. llort. Soc.,' vol. iv., 1822, p. 137; 'Gard. Chron.,' 18'.1:2, p. 4.22. |