Mutations 67 



Group III, progressive elementary species which make a 

 very weak growth : 



(E. albida has whitish, narrow leaves, apparently in- 

 capable of producing sufficient quantities of organic food, 

 and hence are very 'weak. These plants are not suffi- 

 ciently robust to withstand competition in the field and 

 require transplanting into rich soil in pots in order to 

 allow them to live through the first year so that they 

 can produce seed the second year. When these seeds 

 are planted they produce individuals true to type. 



(E. oblonga is a small plant about half the size of Lamark- 

 iana and may be grown either as an" annual or as a bien- 

 nial. It is characterized by its narrow leaves, which are 

 fleshy and of a bright green color. Another striking 

 feature of this type is the presence of numerous little 

 capsules covering the axis of the spike after the fading 

 away of the petals. (E. oblonga is very constant if grown 

 from pure seed. 



The forms already described are relatively very con- 

 stant and never revert to the parent form. Contrasted 

 with these constant forms, de Vries found several incon- 

 stant types as follows : 



Group IV, organically incomplete types : 



(E. lata is characterized by the fact that only pistillate 

 flowers are formed. The anthers seem to be robust, 

 but they are dry, wrinkled, and nearly devoid of contents. 

 It is a low plant with very dense and luxuriant, but brittle, 

 foliage. It has bright yellow flowers which open only 

 partially and remain wrinkled throughout the flowering 

 time. (E. lata may be recognized by its seedlings, which 

 have leaves of a nearly orbicular shape and are very 



