THE CACTUS 105 



pads, it made a complete blend of the traits of 

 the two totally dissimilar parents. But its 

 blossom was a relatively enormous flower, very 

 much larger than that of either parent. 



As to the blend of traits of this hybrid of giant 

 and dwarf forms of cactus, the phenomena 

 observed were obviously comparable to those 

 that we have seen in sundry other connections. 

 The Primus Berry, the Sunberry, and the Plum- 

 cot will be recalled as illustrating the produc- 

 tion of new forms, unlike either parent yet 

 breeding true to the new type permanently even 

 from the first generation. 



The hybrid between the giant and dwarf 

 Opuntias furnishes another illustration of the 

 same thing. This intermediate type, strikingly 

 dissimilar to either parent yet obviously blend- 

 ing the characteristics of both, bred true to form, 

 showing nothing of that tendency to racial 

 variation in the second generation that marks 

 hybrids in general, and that, as will appear in 

 a moment, marks the hybrids of the other 

 cactuses very conspicuously. 



But there is an added element of great interest 

 in the fact that the blossoms of the new hybrid 

 so markedly differ from the flowers of either 

 parent and so conspicuously excel either of 

 them in size and beauty. 



