6 Flower Colour and Characters of the Opium Poppy 



but the L factor is absent. The R factor, if present, has no visible 

 effect in presence of the factor M. The following forms are distinguish- 

 able : — 



PPMM) PP Pink-purple eye (PI. I, fig. 6). The marginal colour is pink but the eye 



PPMm| is coloured. 



RB Bed-blue eye (PI. I, fig. 7). The marginal colour, judged on appearance 

 only, would be termed full. The experiments detailed below, however, 

 show that it is in reality a dilute colour. 



PpMMj^ PPC Judged by appearance this would be termed the crimson form of PP, 



PpMmj bearing the relation to that colour that the crimson forms of P and 



RP bear to the standard forms of those two colours. It is, however, 

 a relation which is not borne out by experiment. 

 PP2C Two dilute forms which are, in the typical condition, distinct, Inter- 

 PP2P mediate forms, however, occur and a practically continuous series is 

 thus formed, the end term of which approximates to the MP form. 

 The best idea of these forms is, perhaps, given by supposing a blue 

 anthocyanin colour to be superimposed on the pink of the PP form, 

 the eye at the same time becoming diffuse. (PI. I, fig. 8.) 



IV. The full colour group. The marginal colour is 'in all forms 

 full and the eye coloured. Factorially considered it is in all respects 

 similar to the last (III) group but the factor L is also present. The 

 following forms are recognisable : 



PPMMLL(or Ll)\ R Red (PI. I, fig. 9). This colour is familiar as that of the wild poppy 

 PPMmLL (or LI)) of the English com fields, the eye being typically small and deep 



purple, sharply defined. A crimson form occurs in which the 

 marginal colour is distinctly crimson by transmitted light. 

 This series may be divided into three sections according to the 

 size of the eye Ri, R2, R3, and each section would appear to 

 possess a corresponding crimson form Ci, C^, C3 . When, 

 however, the eye attains its maximum development the marginal 

 area is so reduced that the presence of a crimson form cannot 

 be determined with certainty. 

 PpMMLL(or \-\)\ CPC Crimson -purple with a crimson tendency (PI. I, fig. 10). This is 

 PpMmLL(or LI)J clearly not a pure colour, a blue anthocyanin being super- 



imposed on the red or crimson marginal colour. In extreme 

 cases it may be confused with C2 above. 



CPP Crimson-purple with a purple tendency. This form is similar to 

 the last but the superimposed colour is sufficiently deep to mask 

 the red. The marginal colour is, thus, very deep and approxi- 

 mates in cases to the deepest PL form. 



V. A white-flowered group. In this group the factors P and M 

 are absent and the entire petal is pure white. 



One further colour must be mentioned, namely that to which the 

 term F^C has been applied. In appearance it forms a connecting link 

 between the PP^G and GPG forms, the eye being distinctly bluish and 

 diffuse. As its name implies, this form was first identified in the .^1 

 generation of certain crosses, in some of which it appears to represent 

 PP2G forms ; while, in others, the GPG. The reason why certain artificial 

 crosses should develop a colour which is not recognised in the natural 

 mixtures is, as yet, not apparent. 



