reported as induced by chemical treatment, may be observed in the late 

 divisions of the tapetal cells from anthers in a variety of plants. In 

 Podophyllum (the May Apple), for instance, the initial breakdown in 

 mitosis is failure of cytokinesis. Subsequent divisions may be normal 







■ ■•.t. 





•-V ?!**'■ 



i^^ 





Figure 5-10. Plate Showing Some of the Various Types of Aberrant 

 Mitotic Figures in Dividing Tapetal Cells of Podophyllum peltatum. (Cour- 

 tesy of Miss Gabriele N. Miihling, Montana State University.) 



so far as chromosome behavior is concerned, but since spindles are 

 more or less randomly oriented and no further cytokinesis occurs, multi- 

 nucleate cells are produced with the number of chromosomes per nucleus 

 being highly variable. In a number of cases, with or without first estab- 

 lishing a binucleate condition, configurations similar to those induced by 

 colchicine may be produced (Figure 5-10), which lead to varying de- 



134 / CHAPTER 5 



