67 
TABLE 1 
Haploid Chromosome Numbers in Pollen Mother Cells 
of Gladioli. 
Number 
meee POr T ... 20s. cee 10 observations 14 
Variety “Halloween” .:......-..- 4 observations 14 
Gladiolus quartinianus ........... 2 observations 14 
ROUS iritis ........05.. 000005 2 observations 14 
ferent sections of the genus, and fourteen is assumed to be the 
haploid number for gladiolus, despite the fact that the only pre- 
viously reported count, for the variety “La Muerthe,” was re- 
corded as 30.? 
As has already been stated, there are many heritable traits of 
gladiolus, which are transmitted independently of one another. 
These may be assumed to be transmitted by different chromo- 
somes. Since there have been fully 14 or more such independent 
characters observed among garden gladiolus hybrids, which can 
be freely interbred, we are free to assume, for purposes of study 
of the possibilities of different inheritance, that these independent 
characters are distributed over all of the 14 chromosomes. By 
Many geneticists, each chromosome is regarded as a parcel, carry- 
ing its particular load of inheritable units, which are normally e 
ried together, so that they are usually linked together in inherit- 
tance. Since the gladiolus has 14 chromosomes in each pollen grain 
and 14 in the egg cell of each ovule, the fertilized egg will have 28 
chromosomes, 14 from the pollen parent and 14 from the seed 
parent. These 28 will be carried through the plant during 1s 
growth, each cell having thus 14 pairs of them, one of each of 
which will enter into its pollen grains or ovules. Each chromosome 
18 assumed to be carried along intact from parent to offspring, €x- 
cept in such cases as may arise when chromosomes get tangled up 
during cell division, and portions of one pair may be exchanged. 
his is assumed to take place when there is crossing over, and sev- 
ering of characteristics which are normally linked together. = eins 
are also numbers of other complications that occur in inheritance. 
, i 
Previously reported by me in THE GrapioLus REVIEW 4: 17. 1927. 
: ilmorin, R. De, and Tt Susonek Nombre des chromosomes dans les 
genres Lobelia, Linum et chez quelques autres espèces véget 
x lol. Paris 96: 166-8. Cited by Gaiser, L. O. Chromosome num 
perms II. Bibliographica Genetica 6: 462. 1930. 
es. > 
bers in angio- 
