SHOETER ARTICLES AND DISCUSSION 



MUTATIONS IN CENOTHERA BIENNIS L. ? 

 It is evident that the adherents of the mutation theory are 

 sensitive to the doubts freely expressed concerning the status 

 of (Enothera Lumarcliana, the behavior of which in throwing 

 off marked variants is cited as the most important evidence for 

 the origin of species by mutations. These doubts are in fact 

 criticisms of the assumption that Lnmn rckiana is representative 

 of a wild species and express the view that this plant is of 

 hybrid origin and that its behavior is of the sort to be expected 

 of a hybrid. Consequently, mutationists are likely to bring for- 

 ward as rapidly as possible any evidence that may seem to indi- 

 cate the appearance of clear inheritable variations of a marked 

 character in forms of pure «;erminal constitution, /. c, in homozy- 

 gous material. 



There are types of (Enothera that we have reason to believe 

 are now very pure and have been so for a great many years. 

 Such a form is the biennis of the sand dunes of Holland. This 

 species has apparently been established in its habitats in Holland 

 since pre-Linnean times. There has been little opportunity 

 for chance hybridization and its habits of close or self pollina- 

 tion in the bud are greatly in favor of the continuation of its 

 germ plasm in pure lines. Moreover, the type in experimental 

 cultures of De Vries and others has proved to be constant. If 

 then it could be shown that tested strains of this biennis are 

 able to produce new forms of specific rank or even marked varie- 

 ties the mutationists would have much stronger evidence in sup- 

 port of the mutation theory than that based on the behavior of 

 O. Lamarckiana, a form unknown as the component of any 



The title of a recent paper, "Mutation bei (Enothera biennis 

 L.," by T. J. Stomps, 1 a former student of Professor De Vries, 

 naturally then arouses interest especially since he is working 

 with this same biennis of the sand dunes of Holland, a type well 

 known to a number of botanists who are conducting experimental 

 studies on cenotheras. A brief discussion of the claims indicated 



'Stomps, T. J., "Mutation bei Oenothera biennis L.," Biologischen 

 Centralblatt, XXXTI, p. 521, 1912. 



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