WHEAT 



33 



38. Origin of emmer and einkorn. Emmer and ein- 

 korn are peculiar forms, having even yet so primitive an 

 appearance that it would seem their ancestors would 

 be readily found. Aaronsohn has, in fact, discovered 

 a species near Mt. Hermon, in Palestine, which is thought 



FIG. 11. Comparison of wild emmer (a) and black 

 winter emmer (6). 



to be the wild prototype of emmer (Aaronsohn and 

 Schweinfurth, 1906). There is little doubt that it is at 

 least a wild wheat, as it crosses readily with all forms of 

 wheat except einkorn. The ancestor of the more com- 

 mon wheats, however, remains undiscovered (Fig. 11). 

 The one kerneled wheat or einkorn appears so different 



