Retrograde Varieties 145 



cause of colors and other qualities is evidently 

 opposed to the current idea of the cells and tis- 

 sues as the morphologic units of the plants. 

 But I do not doubt, that in the long run it will 

 recommend itself as much to the scientist as to 

 the breeder. For the breeder, when desiring to 

 keep his varieties up to their standard, or when 

 breeding to a definite idea, obviously keeps his 

 standard and his ideal for the whole plant, even 

 if he breeds only for flowers or for fruit. 



I have chosen the color of the purple thorn- 

 apple as a first example, but the colors of other 

 plants show so many diverging aspects, all 

 pointing so clearly to the same conclusion, that 

 it would be well to take a more extensive view 

 of this interesting subject. 



First we must consider the correlation in the 

 colors of flowers and fruits. If both are colored 

 in the species, whether red or brown or purple 

 or nearly black, and a variety lacking this hue 

 is known, it will be lacking in both organs. If 

 the color is pure, the flowers and berries will be- 

 come white, but such cases are rare. Ordinar- 

 ily a yellowish or greenish tinge underlies the 

 ornamental color, and if this latter disappears, 

 the yellowish ground will become manifest. So 

 for instance in the Belladonna, a beautiful per- 

 ennial herb with great shiny black, but very 

 poisonous, fruits. Its flowers are brown, but in 



