THE SUNBERRY 307 



nomenal berry, and the Plumcot. But in the 

 case of these fruits, it will be recalled, the par- 

 ent forms were one or both bearers of valuable 

 fruits. The hybrid plants improved upon their 

 parents, but did not show entire departure from 

 the traditions of their ancestral races. 



But the Sunberry, as we have seen, sprang 

 from parent forms neither of which produced 

 edible fruit. 



This was a union of two racial forms that were 

 separated almost to the point of permanent seg- 

 regation. The combination of hereditary fac- 

 tors of two distinct species from two hemispheres 

 developed a hybrid that differed very widely 

 from either parent. As it chanced, this hybrid 

 had qualities of fruit that gave it a new appeal 

 and a standing, from the viewpoint of man, 

 quite different from that accorded either of its 

 parents. 



The case, then, of the Sunberry emphasizes 

 anew the principle that new species may be pro- 

 duced through hybridization, and that, provided 

 the parents are genetically separated just widely 

 enough, their offspring may show such a 

 blending of characters as to constitute a new 

 form, and to be able to transmit these characters 

 to its progeny in such a way as to meet the test 

 by which species are everywhere recognized. 



