One or two buds on a
shrub bearing perhaps a thousand bunches of white flowers produce twigs
and leaves in which the red pigment is noticeable and the flowers of
which become brightly colored. If such a twig is left on the shrub, it
may grow further, ramify and evolve into a larger group of branches. All
of them keep true to the old type. Once reverted, the branches remain
forever atavistic. It is a very curious sight, these small groups of red
branches among the many white ones. And for this reason attention is
often called to it, and more than once I myself have had the opportunity
of noting its peculiarities. It seems quite certain that by planting
such shrubs in a garden, we may rely upon seeing sooner or later some
new buds reverting to the prototype.
Very little attention seems hitherto to have been given to this curious
phenomenon, though in many respects it deserves a closer investigation.
The variety is said to have originated from seed in Scotland, many years
ago, and [168] seems to be propagated only by cuttings or by grafting.
If this is true, all specimens must be considered as constituting
together only one individual, notwithstanding their wide distribution in
the gardens and parks of so many countries. This induces me to suppose,
that the tendency to reversion is not a character of the variety as
such, but rather a peculiarity of this one individual.
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