Flower Color in Asy stasia gangetica — Kamemoto and Storey 
63 
medium purple, resulting in a bronzy 
color. (From Pensacola Branch Station 
of the Hawaii Agricultural Experiment 
Station.) 
2 and 16. Inner epidermis of limb dark 
purple and outer epidermis of limb and 
back of tube purple. (From University 
Avenue roadside.) 
3, 4 and 5. Entire limb yellow. (From 
Pensacola Branch Station.) 
6. 14 and 15. Yellow with inner epidermis 
of limb pale purple resulting in a light 
bronzy color. (From Pensacola Branch 
Station.) 
7. Inner epidermis of limb white and 
outer epidermis of limb and back of 
tube purple, resulting in light pinkish 
color. (From Army Port and Service 
Command Nursery.) 
8. Inner epidermis of limb yellow and 
outer epidermis and back of tube pur- 
ple resulting in a light bronzy color. 
(From Army Port and Service Com- 
mand Nursery.) 
9. Entire limb white. (From Army Port 
and Service Command Nursery.) 
10 and 13. Inner epidermis of limb dark 
purple, and outer epidermis of limb 
and back of tube purple. (From Army 
Port and Service Command Nursery.) 
11. Inner epidermis of limb dark purple 
and outer epidermis of limb and back 
of tube pale purple. (From Army Port 
and Service Command Nursery.) 
12. Inner epidermis of limb dark purple. 
(From Army Port and Service Com- 
mand Nursery.) 
17. Entire limb white. (From University 
Avenue roadside.) 
18. Entire limb white. (From Pensacola 
Branch Station.) 
Culture 
All plants were grown in the greenhouse. 
When the seeds from the first crosses were 
planted, they germinated sporadically. The 
germination period extended over several 
months, and it required about a year before 
the complete recording of the flower types 
could be made. This difficulty was overcome 
when Akamine (1947) found that the seeds 
undergo a period of dormancy, and that by 
treating them in petri dishes with alternating 
temperatures, dormancy may be broken, re- 
sulting in their germination within a period of 
two weeks. The germinated seeds were then 
transplanted into soil. By employing Aka- 
mine’s technique, the recording of flower 
types was greatly facilitated, for the plants 
came into flowering early and at approxi- 
mately the same time. 
It was also found that A . gangetica responds 
to day length; that is, it makes primarily 
vegetative growth during the summer months 
while it flowers profusely during the rest of 
the year. It takes about six months for the 
plants to flower if the seeds are planted in 
early summer. On the other hand, during the 
winter months it takes only three to four 
months from the time of planting of seed to 
the first flower. 
Pollination 
The flower of A. gangetica is protandrous. 
On the day of anthesis the pollen is shed, 
usually completely by noon. However, the 
stigma is not receptive until the following 
day when the upright style bends at the stig- 
matic end and a sticky substance is exuded 
on the stigmatic surface. The period of re- 
ceptivity of the stigma is two to three days. 
For emasculation the corolla of a newly 
opened flower is pulled off in the morning 
carrying the stamens with it and leaving the 
pistil exposed. Pollination is done the follow- 
ing morning when the pollen from a newly 
opened flower of a desired type is applied by 
touching an anther to the sticky stigmatic 
surface. It was necessary to cross a number 
of flowers to get a large population, for from 
one pollinated flower the maximum number 
of seeds obtainable is four. Actually, an aver- 
