34 ESTABLISHMENT OF VARIETIES IN COLEUS 



branch, and the young plants grown from it are at the present writing 

 (December 10, 1914) nearly devoid of yellow, but have the change in 

 pattern for red as a clear-cut sectorial variation. Both surfaces of a 

 single leaf are shown in figures 24 and 24a. In figure 24 the loss of 

 epidermal red on the lower surface of half of the leaf illustrates very well 

 the definiteness with which color variations in Coleus appear. The 

 upper surface of the corresponding half of this leaf is shown in figure 

 24a, with the decrease of red about the margin. Such differences are 

 usually seen in a series of leaves in the same row and in the branches 

 that develop in the axils of such leaves, giving a marked degree of 

 sectorial symmetry to the distribution of pigmentation, a condition also 

 well illustrated with reference to green and yellow hi figure 21. 



Plants with pattern yellow-green-solid red. This pattern (fig. 11) first 

 appeared during the summer of 1913 as a variation complete for a single 

 lateral branch of a plant with green-yellow-solid red. This branch was 

 removed for a cutting, but died soon after it was rooted and placed in 

 a pot. Early in the spring of 1914 this pattern appeared as a sectorial 

 variation in the main axis of a plant having green-yellow-solid red. This 

 plant grew vigorously, giving a large, bushy plant with the two types 

 of foliage distinct and constant on the different branches. Numerous 

 cuttings have been made to test the vegetative constancy of this type. 



Plants with pattern green-yellow. Three plants of this type (fig. 12) 

 were grown from September 1913 until October 1914 and 4 were grown 

 during the summer of 1914. All of these remained quite constant for 

 the loss of epidermal red. They were much less uniform in regard to 

 the relative amounts of green and yellow, one plant possessing a branch 

 that was quite green. There was also a strong tendency among the 

 leaves on one plant to show somewhat irregular distribution by green 

 and yellow, as is shown in figure 12. 



Plants with pattern green and pattern green-yellow spotted. The loss 

 of epidermal red occurred as a sectorial bud variation during the late 

 summer of 1913 on a plant that had fluctuated from type green-yellow- 

 red blotched to type green-yellow spotted-red blotched. The develop- 

 ment of yellow was, however, very faint, so that the bud variation 

 gave a leaf pattern that was almost pure green. This plant was 

 taken up and grown in a pot during the winter of 1913-14 and during 

 the following summer again grown out of doors. All branches on the 

 two parts were quite constant in respect to presence and absence of the 

 epidermal red, but there were traces of red coloration in the sub-epider- 

 mal tissues which, as shown in figure 13, were almost entirely confined 

 to the vascular tissues. There was more or less fluctuation on the entire 

 plant in the appearance of yellow, but no decided development of it. 



In January 1913 a cutting was made from the part of this plant 

 which showed the bud variation. The plant grew vigorously and was 

 during the winter mostly free from yellow. In April, 5 cuttings were 



