Die Chromosomenzahl von '/.ta Mays 83 



(S. 521). Wir linden, class praktisch hei allen Fällen, wo die 

 stark ausgedrückte Divergenz zwischen Euchlaena und Zeatunicata 

 vorhanden ist, Zea Mays Charaktere intermediärer Natur aufweist, 

 und dass diese Charaktere gewöhnlich variierend sind. Im 

 folgenden seien die Einzelheiten aus dem Original angeführt 

 (S. 527-«»): 



,, 1. The glumes of the stamiiiate inflorescence are short in teosinte, long 

 in pod corn. In maize they are of variable length, never longer than in pod 

 corn, and seldom as short as in teosinte. 



2. In teosinte perfect flowers in the staminate inflorescence have never 

 been observed. In pod corn they are the rule. In maize they are a common 

 abnormality. 



3. In teosinte branches are developed from practically every node. In 

 the extreme type of pod corn no branches develop, and even the lateral female 

 inflorescence is suppressed, all seed being borne in the terminal panicle. In 

 maize all gradations between these two extremes occur. 



4. In teosinte all primary branches terminate in a staminate in- 

 florescence. In the branched forms of pod corn staminate flowers have not 

 been observed on any of the branches. In maize staminate spikes at the 

 summit of the female inflorescence occur as an abnormality in practically all 

 varieties. 



5. In teosinte each internode of the rachis of the female inflorescence is 

 specialized into a cup, in which the seed is contaiued. In the female in- 

 florescence of pod corn all spikelets are stalked, resembling the spikelets of 

 the staminate inflorescence, while the rachis is only slightly pitted. In 

 maize the female spikelets are sessile, while the rachis is pitted more deeply 

 than in pod corn and less so than in teosinte. 



6. In teosinte the floral bracts of the female spikelets are highly 

 differentiated, the lower being large and horny, completely closing the opening 

 in the pitted rachis, while the others are greatly reduced. In pod corn the 

 glumes of the female spikelets are all well developed and are no more 

 specialized than those of the male inflorescence. In maize they are all 

 reduced, but the lower are more indurated than the upper. 



7. A combined result of the last three characters is that in teosinte 

 there is practically no resemblance between the male and female inflorescences, 

 the differentiation extending even to the total loss of one of the spikelets of 

 each pair in the female inflorescence. In pod corn the differences between 

 the terminal and lateral inflorescences are slight. In maize the differentiation 

 is less than in teosinte and greater than in pod corn. 



