404 



TfiH JoruxAL OF Heri-:ditv 



WHEN THE TWO SEEDS ARE SEFAKATEU. 



It was shown in the prccechnjj; iUustration that the development of two seeds 

 was not sufficient to darken the whole area of the flesh of this variety 

 (Zengi) of Diospyros kaki, the Japanese persimmon. Comparison with 

 Fig. 8 will show that more of the flesh is darkened when the two developed 

 seeds are nearly or quite opposite, than when thev are side by side. (Fig. 

 9.) 



ful survey of this whole region might do 

 much toward clearing up many obscure 

 features in the behavior of D. kaki. 



All the varieties introduced by Frank 

 N. Meyer, Agrictiltural Explorer of the 

 United States Department of Agricul- 

 ture, in 1905 from northern China 

 belong to the group of Pollination 

 Constants. It is probable that no other 

 kinds are to be found in the sections 

 which he visited. Elsewhere in China 

 varieties belonging to the group of 

 Pollination Variants may be found and 

 it may not be an entirely wild surmise 

 to suggest the existence of a jjcrsimmon 

 region where dark fleshed Pollination 

 Constants are to be found. It must be 

 borne in mind that I), kaki is not native 

 to Japan, but is an introduction from 

 China. Since the Japanese introduc- 

 tions were made several centuries ago, 

 no doubt the two groups have diverged 

 greatly, even granting they were origi- 

 nally one. 



THE FLOWERINO HABIT. 



One of the interesting things in con- 

 nection with D. kaki is that, as already 

 pointed out,' certain varieties bear both 

 staminate and |)istillate flowers. Some 

 of those which bear staminate flowers 



do so regularly every time the tree 

 blooms, while other varieties produce 

 them one season and not another, in 

 fact are very irregular in this particular. 

 The first class of staminate trees we have 

 designated as Staminate Constants, while 

 the second class of staminate trees may 

 be called Staminate Sporadics. Those 

 which produce only pistillate flowers 

 may be referred to as Pistillate Constants. 

 It is interesting to note that staminate 

 flowering varieties of both classes are 

 much more commonly found among the 

 Pollination \'ariants than among the 

 Pollination Constants. In the former 

 group, there are now known to be at 

 least five varieties which either con- 

 stantly or occasionalh' produce flowers 

 with pollen. These are Gailey, Masu- 

 gata, Okame, Taber No. 23, and Taber 

 No. 129. Among the Pollination Con- 

 stants only two staminate flowering 

 sorts, viz: New Sien and Siang have so 

 far been found. It is not improbable 

 that they belong to a dilTerent species 

 from the other varieties or at least a 

 diflerent section of D. kaki. These two 

 varieties arc both recent acquisitions, 

 belonging to the collection, already 

 referred to, secured in China b\- Frank 

 N. Mcver. 



'Journal of Heredity, Vol. V., No. 3. March 131-138. 1<>14. 



