28 
INHERITANCE OF CHANGE OF SEX. 
Some of these changes in sex, when they have been brought about, 
tend to reproduce themselves in the offspring of such plants. It has 
been shown that climatic or other conditions may cause male trees 
to change the character of many of their flowers to hermaphrodite. 
In the station experiment orchards, where seeds of papaya from many 
sources have been planted, it has been very apparent that certain 
lots show a much stronger tendency to produce hermaphrodite flowers 
than others growing under the same conditions. For example, seeds 
of a papaya from South Africa were received through the Office of 
Seed and Plant Introduction, of the United States Department of 
Agriculture. These were from Singerton, near Hectorspruit, Transvaal. 1 
Prof. J. Burtt Davy, who presented them, states that "these seeds 
were procured at an altitude of 1,200 feet, subtropical climate, and 
rather dry. ,, The progeny (Hawaii Station No. 1996) was 33 pis- 
tillate trees and 27 males and hermaphroditic males, several exhibit- 
ing a tendency to hermaphroditism and bearing fruits. Seeds from 
one of the trees showing the tendency in a high degree were planted 
as No. 2599. Of the 16 trees set in the orchard 4 were pistillate, 3 
males, and 9 hermaphroditic males. Of the latter, one carried at the 
time of counting 21 fruits, another 37, and still another 87. Near 
these were other papaya trees, growing under similar conditions, but 
presenting only pure pistillate and pure staminate specimens. It 
would appear, therefore, that such alterations in sex, once established, 
tend to persist under conditions different from those in which they 
arose. 
ORIGIN OF DIFFERENT FORMS. 
Having in mind the facts as outlined above, some discussion may 
be undertaken as to the probable origin of some of the different forms 
and manner of sex distribution, to which reference has been made. 
Form 3, correse, has been referred to as a modification of form 2, 
whereby the aborted pistil becomes developed. It is but a slight 
modification, because the ovary is nearly always present in the ordi- 
nary male. 
Form 4, elongata. Although this form is so distinct from a 
practical point of view, and to casual observation so different from 
any other, it will be seen that it differs from form 3, correae, only in 
three minor particulars: (a) Its flower clusters are greatly shortened; 
(b) it produces larger fruits than the average correae; and (c) its 
staminate flowers do not produce fertile pollen. 
In the matter of the peduncle it may be said that practically all 
degrees of length have been observed here, from the very long to 
i S. P. I. No. 23915. U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Plant Indus. Bui. 153, p. XI. 
