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N.C.

Act Acad. St Petersburg. Tom. 20. 1775

p. 431. Koelkruter Koelreuter crossed fem. Lych. Dioich. with male cucubulus viscosus: Hybrid intermediate in every respect between father & mother. The "corona faucis small & membranaceous" in hyb; this part beautiful in lychnis & none in cucubulus. One parent hermaphrodite, the other female; Hybrid was less perfect than ordinary hybrids in consequence, — the stamens being unequal & very small, — anthers without pollen: Above fact curious. —

The hybrid flowers dusted with lychnis pollen; the germen slightly swelled, but did not ripen. The hyb. after ceasing to flower in Sep. continued to send forth new stems, as is the custom of hybs, & then & produced a few more flowers just before winter.

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I think from tone of paper not first — refers to some Opuscula of his — I fear impossible to get

Is Cucubalus viscosus synon of Silene viscosa, this from Levant. & Don says H.

Find out carefully from what country all the species, which produced sterile flowers came from —

Were they not often foreign? — May this not throw some light of great sterility of his hybrids

Too many considerations come into Play — Koelreuter wd have observed any evident facts

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Tried a cross in 5 flowers reverse of above, but failed; seems to know of similar cases of failures with sexes reversed — Failed in numerous attempts between species of genera, — cucubulus silene, lych. agrostemma — belong to same natural Family — saponaria species being tried of the same genus & of above difft genera. —

p. 445. Says sexes of parents make no difference in crosses without one (if I understand right) is living out of its proper conditions & is degenerated

Thence denies that male gives outside appearance & female inside structure. Hence this doctrine is old

p. 447. Says many species externally appearing quoad faciem externam far longer more closely allied than the 2 above, quite failed in his attempts to cross. — If I understand right suggests that it is difficult to get with certainty pure pollen

Gaertner shows is a danger. as insects may have brought pollen of the species which is to be impregnated, to that flowerfrom which operator takes his pollen. This source of error I never thought of —