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Great Mullein— K. G. transported from Field June 28— 62. Verbascum thapsiform?

I fertilised 5 fl. which seemed to be young with pollen of 2 long stamen & marked white thread.

(This plant grew 8 ft high!!)

I fertilised 5 fl which seemed to be young with pollen of shortest or 2d short stamen. To see about germination—

These short st. dehisce later than the 2 longest one which stand at lower side of flower & have very little hair on filament —

Pistil bends from first opening at considerable angle downwards like Scrophularia─

I observed odd phenomenon. I plucked off buds round flowers & tied thread: I first tried by pulling, to see if corolla was firm — in 2 or 3 minutes afterwards flowers dropped off!!

This did not happen with quite young flower barely expanded.

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July 2d. 3 flowers not opened last night are now open 12° & I see the shortest anther nearly as dehiscent as long-stamens. In late cool weather the same flowers keep open for several days— All these pods from both pollens utterly sterile. Also all later flowers which were left open to insects. The plant grew in field where V. thapsus & while lychnitis grew. I believe Hybrid

X (Prove next year effect of pollen of V. thapsus & lychnitis) X

Rather good case as no nectar & yet we have proof of crossing from pollen-gatherers. V. thapsus seeds profusely under net. V. lychnitis seems certainly without due cause to set very much fewer seeds than the uncovered plants. — Both species were in flower in garden with above hybrid & yet Hybrid produced no seed.

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Oct 4. /62/ I searched field whe in Cudham valley & found dozens of the yellow Verbascum, like lychnitis, & examined many capsules from several plants all utterly sterile. These plants resemble V. lychnitis but are generally taller: they all have bright yellow flowers, which are flat & remain open like V. L. & in this respect differ from V. thapsus. The l anthers of longer stamen are transverse like that of V. L. whereas in all that I have observed of V. thapsus the anthers are oblique.— These plants vary in appearance sometime much more branched then V. thapsus some have much more woolly leaves: others have leaves like V. L. The great plant in Kitchen G. had strongly decurrent leaves: they vary slightly in this respect.—.

V. Sir J. E. Smith on natural Hybrids— Good case seeing their utter sterility — Experiment next year with pure pollen.— v. Gærtner

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Except in colour & often in height & generally more like V. Lychnitis than V. thapsus. It is no wonder that colour yellow has prevailed.—

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Sterility in this case insufficient, have place for dozens of fertile good plants consumed. not We here see & in Oxlips in [illeg] & Royston & in Cistus & in hybrid of Man. Orchis, that nature has not succeeded in keeping forms distinct. —

I have been looking at grt. hybrid plant in K. Garden its leaves strongly decurrent, but very little woolly not so much as others — flowers very open & flat, with line of dehiscence of anthers on longer stamens transverse as in V. Lychnitis.—

Oct 6th I have been to field again; & altogether counted in about 1/2 of not large field 33 of the hybrids; they seemed to grow chiefly where V. thapsus grew as if that had been mother.— This was 2d or autumn flowering for the san-foin had been cut: can this have anything to do with production of so many hybrid?

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In openness of flowers in degree of branching & in transverse shape of anther dehiscence of anthers of tall stamens, clings to V. lychnitis.

In colour, tallness, occasional wooliness & rare recurrence of leaves clings to V. thapsus.

Oct 16th I went to Cudham field & gathered 2 capsules from eleven plants not observed before; (I shd say I examined altogether about 9 before) & all these capsules contained mere abortive ovule; whereas V. lychnitis contained fine ovu growing seed.— It cannot be time of year, on account of plant in K. Garden— One fine plant was very woolly & I think hybrid from branched stem & open flowers; this has now been transplanted into K. Garden─