PLANT CHIMERAS 131 



the other nightshade. In other words, the plant was a com- 

 posite one, the one longitudinal half being a nightshade, the 

 other a tomato. 



The leaves of the tomato are large, feather-compound, hairy 

 of surface, thick in texture, light green in colour, and with 

 notched edges : those of the nightshade are smaller, simple, 

 almost glabrous, thin in texture, dark green, and entire. There 

 can arise no doubt as to the identity of the one or the other. 



This plant Prof. Winkler aptly named a Chimcera in imitation 

 of Homer's " mingled monster of no mortal kind." 



Following on this partial success, the ultimate aim of the 

 experiments was attained in succeeding years, when buds 

 developing similarly, at the line of junction of the two parent 

 tissues, produced shoots which were plainly of a hybrid nature. 

 Of these hybrids no less than five distinct types have been 

 described and named by Prof. Winkler, while other investigators 

 have obtained forms differing from any of these. 



The first experimentally produced " graft hybrid " was 

 named Solatium tiibingense. It possesses leaves which are 

 simple, like those of the nightshade, but with the notched 

 margins, and the hairy surface of the tomato. Without entering 

 into details, it may be stated that the flowers, the fruits, and 

 the stem are also intermediate in character : the plant is easily 

 rooted and maintained by means of cuttings. Solatium Kcelreu- 

 terianum resembles the tomato, but has leaves with the glabrous 

 nightshade surface. Between these two extremes lie S. Gcertner- 

 ianum, S. Darwinianum, and S. proteus. 



Of great interest is the fact that, like Cytisus Adami, these 

 plants produce vegetative throwbacks to one or other parent : 

 these are most abundant among shoots from adventitious buds 

 on cut surfaces ; but they also occur spontaneously. Happily 

 several of the hybrids are fertile, and the curious fact came out 

 that the seeds of any particular hybrid always give rise to plants 

 bearing the characters of one of the parents. Thus tiibingense 

 and Gcertnerianum always give nightshade; proteus always 

 gives tomato. Further, tiibingense and Gcertnerianum are 

 fertile with the nightshade, giving nightshade, but not with the 

 tomato ; while with proteus the reverse is the case. The 

 tomato and nightshade are mutually sterile. 



The possibility of producing plants of a hybrid nature by 

 the process of grafting is therefore proved beyond all doubt. 



