Feb. *3, 1924 
Teosinte Maize Hybrids 
595 
Not only were seeds not produced by these plants but spikelets were 
formed only rarely, the inflorescences usually consisting of naked feathery 
branches. This sterility, though most pronounced in the group more 
nearly approximating the teosinte parent with respect to other characters, 
was apparent also throughout the entire ramose group. Fertile seeds, 
however, were matured by the ramose plants that were most maizelike 
with respect to other characters. 
Since the ramose form of inflorescence is considered as a reversion to a 
more primitive and possibly ancestral type, its complete sterility in 
hybrids with the nearest wild relative of maize may be not without 
significance. The sterile inflorescences, while not succulent, suggest the 
sterile cauliflower form found in crosses between ramose and podded 
strains. 
The combination of the teosinte form of pistillate inflorescence with 
the branched condition of ramose was completely sterile, and there seems 
to be little reason to believe that such a combination represents an 
ancestral form. 
The ramose form of inflorescence, like the crinkly type of plant, was 
found to be associated with some of the characters of maize not in¬ 
volved in the change from normal to ramose inflorescences, thus fur¬ 
nishing additional evidence that there is a correlated complex of maize 
characters which tends to reappear in the perjugate generations of hybrids 
with teosinte. The ramose form, however, is correlated with only three 
maize characters, and two instances of apparent disherence are found. 
The brachytic segregates of the F 2 teosinte hybrid resembled the normal 
segregates much more closely than has been found to be the case in 
brachytic-normal maize hybrids; and there seems little doubt that 
modifying factors affecting stature have been introduced through the 
teosinte parent. Only 12 per cent of the plants of the second generation 
were classified as brachytic. 
As in the two preceding characters, brachytic culms are found to be 
associated with other maize characters; and, while the correlations often 
are not high, it seems clear that somewhat the same complex of maize 
characters is involved sis in the other two hybrids. 
All three characters, crinkly, ramose, and brachytic, are found to be 
correlated with other characters of maize, but in many cases the characters 
involved differ in the three hybrids. Thus the crinkly type of plant 
shows a high correlation with short season, as indicated by the negative 
coefficients with days to pollen and days to silk, while neither the ramose 
nor brachytic plants show correlations with season. Similarly, crinkly 
is associated with few leaves, while the other two characters show no 
such association. Both crinkly and brachytic plants have few suckers, 
but the ramose plants seem not to have this limitation. 
It seems clear that many of the multiple-factor characters of maize 
are correlated with these three unit characters, but the characters in¬ 
volved and the degree of closeness of their relations differ in the three 
hybrids. 
The close relationship of maize and teosinte is further emphasized 
by these hybrids and, with the exception of the ramose type of branching, 
there is little evidence of incompatible combinations. 
On the other hand, the cross with brachytic maize indicates that 
teosinte possesses modifying factors for this character not present in 
at least a large number of maize varieties. This same condition was 
indicated also by the hybrids with golden and rainbow. 
