W. Nkilson Jonbs 73 



is used as seed-parent In this connection it may be noted that the 

 hybrid (D.P. x D.G.) has been found in many places growing wild, 

 e.g. in Dresden, Hanover, &c., and is referred to as D. fulva Lindl. 

 A plant, evidently of the reciprocal (D.G. x D.P.), was recorded by 

 G. F. W. Meyer in the Harz in 1827 and referred to as D./ucata Ehrh. 



Another species hybrid mentioned by Focke is that between D. ItUea 

 and D. obscura. 



The reciprocals were much alike in habit and leaf characters, but 

 very different as to flowers, (D. lutea x D. obscura) having a much 

 longer, narrower, and straighter corolla than the reciprocal. 



In the reciprocal crosses between D. grandijlora and D. lanata 

 Gartner's description indicates that each of the hybrids is more like the 

 seed -parent (p. 225). On another page, however (p. 404), he classes 

 this cross among those that follow the paternal parent more closely. 



These contradictory statements may have resulted from the then 

 prevalent belief that the characters of the male were the more potent 

 in heredity ^ a belief no doubt fostered by Schleiden's interpretation of 

 the fertilisation process. 



The general conclusions to be drawn from the above records are : 



(1) The reciprocal crosses between Digitalis species are unlike. 



(2) In the crosses between D. purpurea and D. lutea, between 

 D. lutea and D. obscura, and between D. grandijlora and D. lanata the 

 reciprocals show a greater resemblance to the seed-parent than to the 

 pollen-parent. 



(3) Regarding the cross between D. purpurea and D. grandijlora 

 the evidence is somewhat contradictory; but on the whole points to 

 the reciprocals resembling the seed-parent as in the other cases'. 



The result of the present investigation supports this view. 



The 'present investigation. 



In the crosses made at Reading between D. purpurea {D.P.) and 

 D. grandijlora {D.G.) both reciprocals were obtained : they differ from 

 one another and from the parents. Speaking generally, the characters 

 of both hybrids are intermediate between those of the parent species, 

 but each hybrid resembles the seed-parent to a greater degree. An 

 attempt has been made to analyse these differences with the object of 

 determining whether the greater general resemblance to the seed-parent 

 was due to the fact that although the reciprocals possessed similar 



* See Genetics Report, in. p. 213. 



* See Focke, p. 470. 



6—2 



