Volume X 



JULY, 1920 



No. 1 



A PRELIMINARY NOTE ON THE FLOWER COLOUR 

 AND ASSOCIATED CHARACTERS OF THE OPIUM 

 POPPY. 



By H. martin LEAKE, M.A, F.L.S., 

 Ecanomic Botanist to Government, United Provinces, 



AND B. RAM PERSHAD, 



Assistant to the Economic Botanist. 



(With Plate L) 

 CONTENTS. 



PAOK 



Introduction 1 



Literature 3 



The Petal Coloars of the Opium Poppy 4 



The P factor 7 



The M factor 8 



The R factor 9 



Effects of P and M in absence of L 10 



Effects of P and M in presence of L 11 



The white-flowered group . 13 



The L factor 13 



Other colour factors 14 



The Shape of the Petal 15 



The laciniated petal 16 



The size of the petal 16 



The Seed Colour 17 



The Correlation between the Vegetative Period and the Flower Colour ._ 18 



Explanation of Plate I 20 



Introduction. 



Previous to the outbreak of war in 1914 the crude opium used for 

 medicinal purposes was mainly derived from the Turkish markets which, 

 in their turn, were dependent on the cultivation of the Opium Poppy 

 in Asia Minor and the Balkans. On the entry of Turkey into hostilities 

 with the Allies this source of supply was cut off, and attention was 



Journ. of Gen. x 1 



