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338 LINDSTROM, GENETICAL RESEARCH WITH MAIZE 
no tendency to form a tassel. Seeds usually form in the ,,tassel-ear”’ 
first, followed later by seed formation in the true ears provided the lat- 
ter do not appear too late. Tassel-ear (fe) is recessive in inheritance to 
the normal. 
Tassel seed. — This abnormal type differs from tassel-ear especially 
in the terminal pistillate inflorescence. The inflorescence is much looser 
in tassel-seed. In rare cases staminate flowers develop along with the 
pistillate ones but they are probably not functional. Tassel-seed (és) is 
also recessive to normal. Crosses of the two types (through the hetero- 
zygous condition) produce normal plants always (Emerson 1920). 
Adherence. — Kempton (1920) describes a variation of the maize _ 
plant in which the leaves, bracts, and inflorescences coalesce in various 
degrees. Often the upper leaves and terminal inflorescence are so firm- 
ly rolled into a hardened mass that the parts cannot be separated. Ex- 
treme cases of adherence always produce abnormal growth or contor- 
tions of the culm. Adherence is often manifest in the seedling stage. Li- 
mited evidence indicates that this character is a Mendeliam recessive. 
Chlorophyll Characters. 
Variations from the normal green leaf color in maize are exceedingly 
numerous. The inheritance of practically all such variations has been 
proven to be Mendelian despite the fact that the plastids are involved. 
One case of cytoplasmic or maternal inheritance has been reported in 
maize. - 
Chlorophyll defects can either be considered in the seedling or ma- 
ture plant phases. The inheritance of the various seedling types of | 
chlorophyll variations has been reported by Emerson (1912b), Miles 
1915), and Lindstrom (1918 and 1921). 
White or albino seedlings. — In this recessive type (w w) there is a 
failure of chlorophyll development, the seedlings perishing within two 
or three weeks time. A cytological study of the albino plants shows 
that plastids are present but are colorless ((Randolph 1922). 
Virescent seedlings. — These are similar to the white (or yellow) type 
except that a small amount of chlorophyll develops which may increa- 
se under favorable circumstancees so that the plant may mature al- 
though it will be very small and weak. The type is a simple recessive in 
inheritance (v v). 

Sate Steer ie rs de eat ha WS 

