Origin of Species Variorum

→ for transport across the sea, the greater or less facilities 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

the greater or less facilities for transport across the sea 1872

→ might wash down 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

would often wash into the sea dried 1872

→ and that these might be dried on the banks, and then by a fresh rise in the stream be washed into the sea. 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

with seed-capsules or fruit attached to them. 1872

→for transport across the sea, the greater or less facilities may be said to be almost wholly unknown. Until I tried, with Mr.

Berkeleys

Berkeley's

aid, a few experiments, it was not even known how far seeds could resist the

inju- rious

injurious

action of sea-water. To my surprise I found that out of 87 kinds, 64 germinated after an immersion of 28 days, and a few survived an immersion of 137 days. It deserves notice that certain orders were far more

affected

injured

than others: nine Leguminosæ were tried, and, with one exception, they resisted the salt-water badly; seven species of the allied orders, Hydrophyllaceæ and

Polemoniacæ,

Polemoniaceæ,

were all killed by a

months

month's

immersion. For

convenience

convenience'

sake I chiefly tried small seeds, without the capsule or fruit; and as all of these sank in a few days, they could not

have been

floated across wide spaces of the sea, whether or not they were injured by the salt-water. Afterwards I tried some larger fruits, capsules,

&c,

&c.,

and some of these floated for a long time. It is well known what a difference there is in the buoyancy of green and seasoned timber; and it occurred to me that floods →might wash down plants or

branches

branches,

→and that these might be dried on the banks, and then by a fresh rise in the stream be washed into the sea. Hence I was led to dry

the stems

stems

and branches of 94 plants with ripe fruit, and to place them on

sea water.

sea-water.

The majority sank quickly, but

some

some,

which,