RECORD: Darwin, C. R. [1862-1863]. seedlings from Hom. plant. CUL-DAR108.52-53. (John van Wyhe ed., 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and John van Wyhe, edited by John van Wyhe 12.2022. RN2
NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin. The volumes CUL-DAR108-111 contain material for Darwin's book Forms of flowers (1877).
(3
B. het seedlings from Hom. plant [no IV short-styled by own pollen) but crossed heteromorphically; for I got 1 long- & short-styled plant from the first union.— These seedlings are grandchildren of first hom union of short-styled.
unfertilised 00 00000000000000000000000000
0 0000000000000000000000
White wool ✔ 0
do ✔ 6 brown & goodish
Black wool ✔ 21 brown & fine
Black wool ✔ 9 brown & goodish
Black wool ✔ 27 brown & very fine
Black wool ✔ 23 brown & fine one mouldy
White wool ✔ 0
Black wool ✔ 31 brown & very fine
Black w ✔ 5 brown & poor
White wool wood ✔ 30 very fine
Black wool ✔ 0
do ✔ 0
do ✔ 0
White wool ✔ 35 fine
Black w ✔ 23 very fine
do ✔ 1
Black W. 35 very fine
White W. 0
showing white wool 0 [+] 6 [+] 0 [+] 30 [+] 35
[3v]
Summary
Black worsted 21 27 23 31 23 35 9 5 0 0 0 1
White wool 30 35 6 0 0 0
Speak of "Short-styled" "Long-styled " ste family.
This is strong vase their grandchildren were offspring of a heteromorphic union between 2 homomorphic plants from short-styled; & yet when their grandchildren were crossed heteromorphically with the hom grandchildren from long-styled, product of seed not increased: sterility is indelible in them.
(4
Trial Results of B.
(50 pods on 15 Plants were produced without any aid; but these did not include single seed.)
These 15 plants were all short-styled, (though result offspring of a Heteromorphic union between 2 Hom. plants)
12 flowers were fertilised by own pollen (Black wool) they produced 8 pods with seed, on average containing 21.8 seed per capsule; but omitting 2 capsules with only 9 & 5 seed, the fairest average is 26.4 per pod. = so that these are, perhaps by chance, less fertile than A!!
Six flowers were fertilised heteromorphically with pollen not related by descent of the long-styled Hom. grandchildren seedlings called C: these 6 produced only 3 pods with seed, on average 23.6; but omitting one with 6; average is 32.5; but this evidently too high. In both cases one pod in each contained 35; I may say of equal fertility. This is the same degree of fertility as A had however crossed. — /over
[4v]
The comparison is very far from correct, but above results will perhaps be more intelligible, if we suppose that ordinary marriages produced on average 6 children but that when cousins married the product was only 3 children. Now the strange fact is that these children from cousins however if married with any other cousins, the most healthy & productive though not the most distant relatives whatever (This is strictly correct for long-styled & short-styled families are not relatives) yet should never produce more than 3 children; the fertility of offspring from cousins from being thus permanently reduced.—
Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
File last updated 14 December, 2025