170 



Gigantism in Primula sinensis 



Queen Star with respect to size of cells is demonstrated by the Camera 

 Lucida drawings reproduced in Figs. 2 — 5, and appears to be in every 

 way similar to that obtained by Gregory (1909) in the case of the 

 Normal and Giant Star Primulas which he compared with one another. 

 The difference in size between the nuclei of the giant and normal form 

 which Gregory demonstrated, obtains also in the example now under 



ctx, X, 



Fig. 3. Primula sinensis. Longitudinal sections of the flower peduncles of Giant White 



Queen Star and Normal. Magnification the same in both. 



e = epidermis, cte= cortex, a; = pericycle. 



consideration. The larger size of the nuclei of the giants is well shown 

 in Fig. 5, which represents the pollen grains of the pin-eyed normal 

 and giant varieties. 



The histological aspect of the phenomenon of gigantism in P. sinensis 

 deserves more detailed examination than has been devoted to it, and in 

 particular an enquiry into the relation between size of nucleus and size 

 of cell should prove of interest ; but beyond confirming Gregory's con- 

 clusion that the numbers of chromosomes (12 and 24) are the same 



