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Show 140 HIBISCUS AFRICANUS. CHAP. IV. plants of the last or fourth generation were as uniform in tint as those of a wild species, being of a pale pink or rose colour. Analogous cases with Mimulus and Ipomooa, after several generations of self-fertilisation, have been already given. The flowers of the intercrossed plants of the fourth genflration were likewise nearly uniform in colour. On the other hand, the flowers of the London-crossed plants, or those raised from a cross with the fresh stock which bore dark crimson flowers, varied extremely in colour, as might have been expected, and as is the general rule with seedling carnations. It deserves notice that only two or three of the London-crossed plants produced dark crimson flowers like those of their fathers, and only a very few of a pale pink like those of their mothers. The great majority had their petals longitudinally and variously striped with the two colours, -the groundwork tint being, however, in some cases darker than that of the mother-plants. XII. MAL v AOElE.-HIBISCUS AFRIOANUS. lVIany flowers on this Hibiscus were crossed with pollen from a distinct plant, and many others were self-fertilised. A rather larger proportional number of the crossed than of the selffertilised flowers yielded capsules, and the crossed capsules contained rather more seeds. The self-fertilised seeds wore a little heavier than an equal number of the crossed seeds, but they germinated badly, and I raised only four plants of each lot. In three out of the four pots, the c.rossed plants flowered first. TABLE XLVIII. Jfibiscus africanus. No. of Pot. Crossed Plants. Self-fertili sed Plants. - Inches. Inches. I. 13~ 16 ~ - II. 14 14 III. 8 7 - IV. 17 ~ 2 0~ ----- - - Total in inches. 53•00 57·75 CHAP. IV. HIBISCUS AFRICANUS. 141 The four crossed plants avera 0 13 .25 tilised 14·43 inches in height; orgas 100 to~~~ the four self-fer-the unusual case of self-fertilised 1 t · . Here we have in height; but only four pai·rs w pan s exceeding the crossed ere measured and th a· grow well or equally I did n t ' ese 1d not lots. . o compare the fertility of the two |
