Australian Meeting of the British Association. 143 
Mr. R. P. Gregory gave an account of the extraordinarily 
interesting phenomena associated with Inheritance in certain 
Giant Races of Primula. These giant forms possess twice the 
normal number of chromosomes both in gametophytic and sporo- 
phytic generations, and inasmuch as they prove to possess also a 
duplication of inheritance factors, hope is entertained that they 
may help to elucidate the possible relationships between factors and 
chromosomes. 
If we suppose that in the pure-bred diploid race each factor is 
represented twice, AA, then in the tetraploid race—arising in one 
case in the P 2 of a diploid cross—each factor is represented four 
times, AAAA, and there are three distinct hybrid types, namely : 
AAAa, AAaa and Aaaa, similar or dissimilar in appearance accord¬ 
ing as a single “ dose ” is sufficient or insufficient for the develop¬ 
ment of the character. In any case they are recognised 
subsequently by their progeny resulting from self-fertilization and 
giving respectively no pure recessives, one in sixteen recessives 
and one in four recessives. The ratio 15 dominant to 1 recessive, 
recall those obtained by Nilsson Ehle in Oats and Wheat, and by 
East in Maize, but the case of the Primulas differ in that the 
duplication affects all the characters studied, not merely the factors 
for isolated characters. 
It would be unsafe to conclude that the relationship between 
factors and chromosomes is thus shown to be a close one, for 
various reasons, but nevertheless it is probable that further study 
of these forms will establish a connection. 
Systematic Botany and Ecology. 
Professor A. J. Ewart and Miss Olive B. Davies gave an 
Account of the Flora of the North West Territory. This forms 
one of the contributions resulting from the Barclay Expedition. 
It considers the Leguminous plants so obtained from the point of 
view of their economic value, especially their poisonous qualities. 
Thus Bauhinia has three poisonous species, Crotalaria five—only one 
of which fortunately is found in this area. It seems probable that 
Gastrolobium grandiflorum falls under this ban, as also Tephrosia 
purpurea, but much remains to be done before anything like a 
complete list can be published. 
In an account of the Flora of the Environs of Melbourne, 
Mr. Sutton showed that there is a very distinct correlation between 
the geological area and the associated flora, leading to the conclusion 
