3O MUTANTS AND HYBRIDS OF THE OENOTHERAS. 



The designation of an individual from a hybrid progeny as a 

 mutant is unsafe, unless, as in the evening-primroses, the characters 

 of the mutants have been established by previous observations. It is 

 quite possible that mutants may have appeared in hybrids at various 

 times, thus giving basis for the assumption that new qualities were 

 seen to appear as a result of the hybridization. 



A second occurrence of O. rubrinervis as a possible mutant was 

 noted in a lot of plantlets grown from seeds obtained from the botan- 

 ical garden at Upsala early in 1904. The seeds were sown in germi- 

 nating pans on March 28, 1904, and four individuals were transplanted 

 to the experimental grounds on May 28 and began to send up shoots 

 early in July. Of these, two were undoubted types of 0. rubrinervis, 

 corresponding to this form in all particulars. 



In reply to the inquiry as to the derivation of the seed from which 

 the above plants were grown, Prof. F. R. Kj ell man, director of the 

 botanical garden at Upsala, replied as follows under date of August 

 8, 1904: 



The seeds of Oenothera lamarckiana, which you received from this botanical 

 garden, were gathered from plants grown in a cool house from seeds obtained 

 from Professor De Vries. Some oenotheras of other species were growing near 

 these plants, upon which account the possibility of hybridization was not ex- 

 cluded. Pure seeds of the new species of Oenothera may, in my opinion, only 

 be obtained rom Professor De Vries. 



In view of the above record, therefore, it may only be said that the 

 specimens of 0. rubrinervis in this culture owe their origin either to 

 an actual mutation, or to the pollination of 0. lamarckiana by O. 

 rubrinervis. Professor Kjellman did not state whether or not any of 

 the new species were included in the lot growing near O. lamarckiana, 

 although the negative presumption seems warranted. 



Still a third occurrence of the same species is to be noted, for 

 which all explanation is lacking at the present time. A package of 

 seeds under the label of " Statice Japonica " were received from the 

 botanical garden at Tokyo, in 1903. After germination, four of the 

 seedlings were transplanted to small pots in accordance with the usual 

 custom with new accessions to the New York Botanical Garden. 

 Attention was not called to the peculiar appearance of these plants 

 until early in May, when they formed rosettes 2 dm. in diameter, and 

 were unmistakably O. rubrinervis. I was not able to trace the history 

 of the seed-package and learn whether all of the seeds were of the same 

 kind or not. If by mistake a package of seeds of Onagra had been 

 sown under the above label, the rubrinervis which was with it would 



