The red hue is far more common in
leaves, as seen among herbs, in cultivated varieties of _Coleus_ and in
the brown leaved form of the ordinary white clover, among trees and
shrubs in the hazelnut (_Corylus_), the beech (_Fagus_), the birch
(_Betula_), the barberry (_Berberis_) and many others. But though most
of these forms are very ornamental and abundant [134] in parks and
gardens, little is as yet known concerning the origin of their varietal
attributes and their constancy, when propagated by seeds. Besides the
ray-florets and the colors, there are of course a great many other
characters in which varieties may differ from their species. In most of
the cases it is easy to discern whether the new character is a positive
or a negative one. And it is not at all necessary to scrutinize very
narrowly the list of forms to become convinced that the negative form is
the one which prevails nearly everywhere, and that positive aberrations
are in a general sense so rare that they might even be taken for
exceptions to the rule.
Many organs and many qualities may be lost in the origination of a
variety. In some instances the petals may disappear, as in _Nigella_, or
the stamens, as in the Guelder-rose (_Viburnum Opulus_) and the
_Hortensia_ and in some bulbs even the whole flowers may be wanting, as
in the beautiful "Plumosa" form of the cultivated grape-hyacinth or
_Muscari comosum_.
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