508 
GENETICS: J. ZINN 
conditions and in the garden. Two greenhouses were used whose con- 
ditions differed greatly, notably with respect to humidity and tempera- 
ture. In one of the greenhouses prevailed what might be called a moist 
and hot condition, the temperature varying only slightly, from 75°F. 
during the day to 70°F. at night. In the other greenhouse where the 
cultures grew in the summer time no artificial heat was used, the tem- 
perature following the natural daily amplitude. The air in this green- 
house was quite dry. 
In connection with the study of the effect of nutrition and starvation 
upon the teratological development of this race, the cultures were grown 
in different nutritional media comprising rich composted or fertilized soil, 
ordinary soil, sand, and gravel. 
Observations and results. — The variations here considered occur in the 
gynoecium, the perigone, and the vegetative organs of this race. Most 
of these variations have hitherto not been recorded for Fagopyrum 
tataricum. 
The variations in the gynoecium are characterized by the production 
of supernumerary carpels. The number of carpels per pistil was found 
to vary from 3 up as high as 25. Under ordinary conditions of growth 
the number of flowers with normal gynoecia predominates over or equals 
the number of flowers with abnormal gynoecia. Under conditions favor- 
ing the development of abnormal flowers the variation is bilateral, and 
can be represented by a curve the apex of which is formed by the abnor- 
mal four-carpelled flowers. The frequency distribution of flowers with 
respect to number of carpels is given in table 1. 
From table 1 it will be noted that the frequency distribution of flowers 
with abnormal gynoecium decreases as the number of aberrant carpels 
per pistil increases. 
Associated with the abnormal gynoecia are abnormal perigones with 
a varying number of segments ranging from the normal number of 5 as 
high as 18. The favorable conditions capable of transforming the uni- 
lateral variation of the gynoecia into a bilateral one, failed to affect the 
perigones in the same manner. The variation in the number of perigone 
leaves remained unilateral with the frequency of the normal, five-parted 
perigone forming the apex of the skew curve (table 2). 
The frequency of the normal, five-parted perigones decreases as the 
number of carpels per pistil increases. The relationship between the 
number of carpels and perigone leaves is illustrated in table 3. 
All descendants of the ever-sporting race were found to reproduce the 
ever-sporting type of the mother plant regardless of whether they orig- 
inated from normal or abnormal fruits of the parent. 
