MEIOSIS IN CERTAIN INTERSPECIFIC HYBRIDS IN CREPIS AND ITS BEARING ON TAXONOMIC RELATIONSHIP BY E. B. BABCOCK and S. L. EMSWELLER University or California Publications in Agricultural Sciences Volume 6, No. 12, pp. 325-368, plates 14 and 15, 8 figures in text Issued November 27, 1936 Price, 50 cents University of California Press Berkeley, California Cambridge University Press London, England PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA MEIOSIS IN CERTAIN INTERSPECIFIC HYBRIDS IN CREPIS AND ITS BEARING ON TAXONOMIC RELATIONSHIP BY E. B. BABCOCK and S. L. EMSWELLER CREPIS NICAEENSIS Balb. x C. SETOSA Hall, f . Most Cbepis species are excellent subjects for cytological research be- cause of tbeir generally large and morphologically distinct chromo- somes. The genus includes three subgenera, in each of which numerous representative species have been studied with reference to comparative morphology, geographic distribution, and chromosome relations (Bab- cock and Cameron, 1934 ; Babcock, 1936) . Cytogenetic studies on several hybrids between species in the same subgenus and in different subgenera have exhibited phenomena that throw light on problems of taxonomy, phylogeny, and evolution (Babcock and Navashin, 1930). The present investigation was undertaken with the hope of contributing further evi- dence on some of these problems. Species and Hybrids Investigated These investigations are concerned with hybrids between Crepis nicaeen- sis Balb., of subgenus Eucrepis, and two subspecies of Crepis setosa Hall. f. of subgenus Barkhausia. Some of the F 2 derivatives were also studied. Plants of the two subspecies of C. setosa, namely, typica (ac- cession 2623) and Topaliana (accession 2671) were used as paternal parents, and a single nicaeensis plant (accession 2700) furnished the maternal gametes. The diploid chromosome number of both species is 8. The strain of C. nicaeensis used in this study came from northern Italy. The species occurs sporadically in lower montane regions from the Eastern Pyrenees to Macedonia. Plants found in the wild state are tall, erect, and simple-stemmed with a few branches near the top bear- ing a few medium-sized flower heads. Under cultivation the plants are either annual or biennial ; they retain the same upright habit as in the wild but are very vigorous, with long branches and many heads. As a rule nicaeensis plants have a stronger central axis than do setosa plants and the basal or rosette leaves are very different, although there is no- ticeable variation in both species. In details of the heads, florets, and fruits the differences are even more marked. Differences in the achenes [325] 326 University of California Publications in Agricultural Sciences [Vol. b Fig. 1. Achenes of: a, Crepis setosa typica (2623) ; b, C. setosa Topaliana (2671) ; c, C. nicaeensis (2700) ; d, C. nicaeensis x C. setosa typica Fij e, C. nicaeensis x C. se- tosa Topaliana Fj ; /, an F 2 derivative with 8 chromosomes ; g, h, F 2 derivatives with 24 chromosomes ; i, C. biennis. 1936] Babcoch-Emsweller : Meiosis in Interspecific Hybrids in Crepis 327 are of special interest in this study. In nicaeensis the achenes are golden brown, about 3 mm. long and 0.6 mm. wide, terete, narrowed at base and summit, with no beak or prolongation of the apex, and with ten broad, nearly smooth, longitudinal ribs (fig. lc). In C. setosa, considered as a whole, the plants are more slender, the habit more bushy, and the heads more numerous and smaller. Besides other distinguishing characters, the achenes are tawny, 3-5 mm. long and 0.3-0.6 mm. wide, and the body is terete, with ten ribs, narrowed at base and attenuate at summit into a slender beak equal to or shorter than the body (fig. la,b). The strain of C. setosa typica used in these investi- gations was obtained from a wild population in Savoy, France. This sub- species occurs rather commonly at low elevations from the eastern Pyre- nees to Macedonia. Our accession of subsp. Topaliana came from a wild population in eastern Thessaly. This subspecies has a restricted distribu- tion in northern Greece and a few forms which are intermediate between the two subspecies have been found in northwestern Thessaly and Epirus. Some of the characters that distinguish the two subspecies are listed in table 1. Although these data were obtained from only two plants of one subspecies and one of the other, yet these plants were fairly typical of their respective entities. Plants of typica are normally larger and more robust than Topaliana plants. Differences in the basal and cauline leaves are shown in figure 2a, b. Certain differences in the achenes are discernible in figure la, b. In the typica strain the beak is equal in length to the body of the achene and all the achenes in a head are closely simi- lar. In Topaliana the marginal achenes are notably different from the rest of the achenes in the head. They are somewhat compressed, paler in color, and merely attenuate, not finely beaked, as is shown by the right- hand achene in figure lb, and the inner achenes have a relatively longer body and shorter beak than do those in the typica strain used. Another difference which, although minute, was consistent in each plant was found in the setae (bristles) borne on the involucral bracts and pedun- cle. In the typica strain these setae are slightly longer and more slender than those of the Topaliana strain. This is especially interesting because of the failure of setae to appear in the F 1 (30.31) of which typica was a parent, whereas setae were abundant in the other F x (30.32) , as is shown in plate Id, e. The first impression given by these facts is that the par- ticular typica plant which was used as male parent of 30.31 must have been heterozygous for setae, whereas the Topaliana plant used in pro- ducing 30.32 was homozygous. It was shown by Collins (1924) that in Crepis capillaris glabrous involucre it inherited as a simple recessive to pubescent involucre. But here the pubescence consists of hairs, not setae. Furthermore, plants with glabrous involucres have never been reported 328 University of California Publications in Agricultural Sciences [Vol. 6 in C. setosa; on the contrary, these peculiar setae seem to be a constant specific character in this species. Certainly no plants with glabrous in- volucre were observed among several strains of typica while they were under cultivation. This fact, together with the structural difference in the setae of the two subspecies noted above, may be indicative of a TABLE 1 Differentiating Characters in the Subspecies of Crepis setosa 2623. Typica Large, robust Height (2 plants), 65-75 cm. Stem erect with several long branches from base, each with a secondary branch from each node; secondary branches erect, forming a narrow angle with main branch Involucre setose, the bristles slightly longer and more slender than in 2671. Bristles of same type also rather plen- tiful on peduncle Achenes all similar, or the marginal ones parthenocarpic, but even then usually beaked and colored like the inner ones; 3-4 mm. long, deep tawny, the body oblong, subterete, strongly 10-ribbed, beak equal to body, conspicuously ex- panded to form a white inverted cone below the broad pappus disk Style branches bright green 2671. Topaliana Small, slender Height (1 plant), 38 cm. Stem erect with a branch from each node, but branches shorter than axis and spreading at a wide angle from it Involucre setose, the bristles shorter and slightly thicker. Bristles on pe- duncle very few and diminished Achenes of two shapes, 3-4 mm. long; the marginal ones very pale or whit- ish on ventral face, long-fusiform, strongly attenuate toward summit or shortly beaked, obscurely ribbed; inner achenes pale tawny, the body fusiform, subterete, delicately 10- ribbed, beak a little shorter than body, not expanded below pappus disk Style branches pale greenish yellow genetic difference between the subspecies with respect to setae. At- tempts were made to obtain hybrids between these two subspecies of C. setosa, but they failed, so there is no further evidence bearing on this particular question. Hybrids between C. nicaeensis and C. setosa were obtained with diffi- culty. Only four F 1 plants were produced, two of each with typica and Topaliana as male parent. For brevity's sake the two crosses will be re- ferred to hereafter as hybrid A and hybrid B. The F x hybrid sibs were very similar, but there were consistent differences between the two F x 1936] BaococTc-Emsweller : Meiosis in Interspecific Hybrids in Crepis 329 families. Some of these differences are shown in table 2. The leaf types of the parents and F x hybrids are shown in figure 2. Not much signifi- cance can be attached to these differences because the parents, like those in other species of Crepis, are rather variable in leaf shape ; but, taken along with the other differences in the hybrids, these leaf differences may also indicate genetic diversity between the subspecies. Certain dif- ferences in anthocyanin in the F x plants may have been due to heterozy- gosity in the nicaeensis parent. One plant from each cross was pressed TABLE 2 Differentiating Characters in Hybrids A and B (2 Plants of Each) A. C. nicaeensis 9 X C. setosa typica fflTt< 00 lO "5 00 o*t< a-° a ■* CM CM »— < - CMrt CM CM CO ** CO CO So Tf t^ Ui CO CM CO O O CO lr^ ■*•* f2 s CO IO CM CM >c 3*- co >c CO «5 COrt _, O CM •* HN 00 o> 00 CM CM •>* co (M _ 05 Tfl CD CO OOlO CO ■«=)< t^ ■H CM T— I O i-H !— 1 CM CO jd P GO b s 111 M CO O O co CO O t~ a> 00 ,-ITl< CN CM CM CM CM coco CO »— 1 CO , ~ l *o ■»* eo lO ia O CM 1000 l^ «# t^t^ a co 1-1 1-1 CM CM Ifl 1-H .C3 "* 5 a a > "a s 53 O T3 CO 00 1. 53 H (3 00 B K -s 53 3 T) ■* a a •d B ■*f •* CO CO 1 * ■<*< CO O eo O CO "|H .2 CO fcH H O 53 ■* e ■3 *G u to ■* C3 8 -t-» > •-H -VJ •*» u CO C5 O hi 9" O. O O A s. CD CO eg eg cd CD 00 09 5 V O. 0) CO CD CD CD !2 T3 ■O •0 "O J O Tf< +* ■** ■** ■** •*» •* CO a a a a d d «* C3 CO d $ T3 •a ■a T3 •0 2 'e J ca .« CD CD d a a d d C3 CO 3 a « CD CD CD CD 53 •** 13 '5 "5 > < .■£ w a tf £ .. CM CO ■* IO CO 1> 00 OJ I— ( z "2^ 2.S CdO Si o 2 So t-T) o pq S 73 1936] Bdbcotfc-Emsweller : Meiosis in Interspecific Hybrids in Crepis 353 geographic area, although aurea is a montane species and leontodon- toides occurs at low altitudes. This evidence, together with the fact of high degree of pairing in the hybrid, warrants the inference that al- though leontodontoides has developed the more specialized involucre of Eucrepis and in other respects is a less primitive species than aurea, yet there is a high degree of homology between the chromosomes of the two species. The parents of hybrid 9, aculeata and aspera, are in the same section of Barkhausia and are obviously closely related ; but aculeata is some- what more primitive, having larger heads, florets, and fruits, less dif- ferentiated marginal achenes, and similar but much larger chromo- somes. Therefore a high degree of genie homology may be assumed, and an even larger amount of pairing at metaphase than was observed might be expected. As 61 per cent of the PMC's had 4n and 31 per cent 3n, it is possible that the difference in size or some other structural difference prevented chiasma formation or terminalization in one particular chro- mosome type. A study of pachytene and later stages in this hybrid would be of interest. The two species occur in the same geographic area. Hybrid 11 is the subject of the first part of the present paper, and the differences between HA and 11B in number of pairs at metaphase have been discussed. At this point only hybrid A will be considered. Although nicaeensis is of Eucrepis and setosa of Barkhausia, and al- though nicaeensis is somewhat more primitive, being biennial, larger throughout, and with thicker, beakless fruits, nevertheless the two spe- cies are generally similar. This is true especially when setosa typica is compared with nicaeensis, and when habit, type of involucre, and size of heads, florets, and fruits are considered. The chromosomes are of the same four types, and in only one of the types do the representatives of the two species differ greatly in size. Furthermore, setosa typica is in- digenous in low altitudes of the same geographic area as nicaeensis, which is montane. Hence the nearly complete metaphase pairing and the closeness of the association in the bivalents can be interpreted as indicating a high degree of genie homology in these species. In hybrid 10 a quite different situation exists. The phyletic relation is the reverse of that in number 11, the Barkhausia species, divaricata, being somewhat more primitive than the Eucrepis species, Dioscoridis. Both species have 4 pairs of chromosomes. But on the basis of compara- tive morphology they are widely separated ; for they differ throughout and notably in that divaricata has less reduced outer involucral bracts and monomorphic, shortly beaked achenes ; whereas Dioscoridis has a rather highly specialized involucre and dimorphic, unbeaked achenes. The two species are widely separated geographically, divaricata being endemic in Madeira, and Dioscoridis in Greece. The amount of chromo- 354 University of California Publications in Agricultural Sciences [Vol. 6 some pairing in this hybrid is practically the same as in hybrid 5. In the latter the parents were leontodontoides, a relatively primitive species of Eucrepis with 5 pairs of chromosomes, and Marschallii, an advanced species of Barkhausia with 4 pairs. These species are indigenous in widely separated regions, leontodontoides in Italy and southwestern France, Marschallii in the Caucasus and Caspian region. All this evi- dence indicates that in both of these hybrids the parents represent widely divergent phyletic lines within the genus and is consistent with the notion that the low amount of metaphase pairing in these two hy- brids indicates relatively low amounts of genie homology. Hybrids 2, 3, and 4 may be considered together since the phyletic relations are similar. Unfortunately the data on numbers 3 and 4 are very limited and in number 3 the distribution of PMC's according to number of bivalents present is irregular. In all three hybrids both par- ents are Eucrepis species, and the more primitive one is leontodontoides, which is indigenous in Italy and southwestern France. The natural dis- tribution of the other three species is as follows : tectorum, middle and northern Eurasia; parviflora, eastern Mediterranean to Caucasus; capillaris, southern and middle Europe east to Crimea. The mean num- bers of bivalents per PMC are : hybrid 2, 2.0 ; hybrid 3, 2.5 ; hybrid 4, 1.5. The amount of pairing in number 2 is consistent with the view that, in Crepis, species which are widely separated in geographic distribution have less genetic homology than species occupying the same region. The slightly larger amount of pairing in hybrid 3, of which the parents are more widely separated geographically, is in apparent disagreement with this conception, but the small number of PMC's counted and their irreg- ular distribution according to number of bivalents present, make this apparent exception less significant. Hybrid 4 also appears to be an ex- ception to the hypothesis because the geographic areas of the parents are the closest in this hybrid, yet the amount of pairing is the lowest. But such an inference is not warranted for this hybrid, because the capil- laris plants used as parents were all of the X strain in which wide varia- tions in pairing occur between individuals Hybrids 6, 7, and 8 may also be considered together. Although in num- ber 6 two forms of tectorum were used, the differences in pairing ob- served were not comparable to those obtained in hybrid 11 because of the known variability of pairing in the capillaris plants used in this cross. For the same reason hybrid 6 cannot be compared with hybrids 7 and 8 with any degree of assurance. It may be noted, however, that the amount of pairing in number 6A is more nearly what might be expected from the morphological similarity of the two species and their geographic distribution. Hybrids 7 and 8 can be compared with more assurance. All four parental species have 4 pairs of cln-omosomes. Although number 7 1936] Babcock-Emsweller : Meiosis in Interspecific Hybrids in Crepis 355 was a hybrid between a Eucrepis species and a Barkhausia species and number 8 involved two Barkhausia species, the phyletic relations be- tween the two pairs of species are similar in that one species is less advanced than the other. The two hybrids differ, however, in the degree of difference in advancement of the parents. In other words, the degree of advancement of taraxacifolia over tectorum is greater than that of bursifolia over aspera. But the amount of pairing in the two hybrids is equal, the slight difference between them not being significant. This ap- parent inconsistency is offset by the evidence from geographic distri- bution. In number 7 the areas occupied by the two species overlap, but in number 8 one parent (aspera) occurs in Asia Minor and the other (bur- sifolia) is endemic in Italy. Therefore the geographic distribution of the two pairs of species seems to correspond with their degree of genie homology, as indicated by metaphase pairing in their respective hybrids, if allowance be made for the difference in phyletic relations. In the foregoing review the degree of genetic homology between pairs of species, as indicated by the number of bivalents at IM in their respec- tive hybrids, has been considered with reference to the relative phyletic status of the species and their geographic distribution. The hybrids in- vestigated are too few to warrant any conclusions, and the crossings were not planned with reference to a study of the relation of metaphase pair- ing to either phyletic status or geographic distribution considered alone. But, if both these variables are taken into account when the metaphase pairing in two hybrids is compared, two inferences appear to be indi- cated, as follows: (1) hybrids between more primitive species have larger amounts of metaphase pairing than hybrids between more ad- vanced species; (2) hybrids between species occupying the same geo- graphic region also exhibit greater meiotic regularity than do hybrids between species from widely separated regions. It is to be emphasized that these inferences apply only to the Crepis hybrids herein considered. That hybrids between more primitive species of a monophyletic genus will exhibit greater meiotic regularity than do hybrids between more advanced species, is a reasonable a priori assumption, because the more primitive species would be less differentiated genetically in a truly nat- ural group. From a study of meiotic behavior in Nicotiana interspecific hybrids, Goodspeed (1934) reached the conclusion that formation of bivalents in a hybrid is positive evidence that the pairing chromosomes possess many similar or equivalent genie elements ; and that decrease in amount of pairing "is to be related to an accumulation of genie and chromosomal distinctions between species evolved from a common stock." The data on Crepis hybrids are not adequate for any generaliza- tion about phyletic status and meiotic regularity. There should be sev- eral series like hybrids 1-5, all of which involve a single species for one 356 University of California Publications in Agricultural Sciences [Vol. 6 parent, and both parents should occur in the same region. Even in this series numbers 3 and 4 must be disregarded because of unreliability of the data, and in number 5 the factor of wide geographic separation is introduced. This leaves only the first two hybrids, in which there is a significant difference in amount of pairing and a great difference in phyletic status of aurea and tectorum. The more primitive aurea pro- duced a hybrid with high meiotic regularity and high fertility, and the more advanced tectorum gave a hybrid with low metaphase pairing and extremely low fertility. With reference to the second inference, it seems probable that, in a recently evolved genus with many closely related but widely separated species, there is positive correlation between wide geographic distribu- tion and a low degree of genetic homology. This also is a reasonable assumption because groups of most closely related species would be dis- tributed from the center or origin during the course of evolution. In the present study hybrids 8 and 9 support this inference because all four species are of subgenus Barkhausia, the parents of hybrid 8 being widely separated geographically and less similar morphologically, whereas the parents of hybrid 9 occur in the same region and are generally similar. Hybrid 8 has a mean of 2.5 ± .28 bivalents per PMC, and hybrid 9 has a mean of 3.5 ±.18. The difference, 1.0 ± .33, is three times its standard error and hence may be considered significant. A similar situation holds in hybrids 10 and 11 and in these there is a much greater difference in the number of bivalents formed in the hybrids. It should be emphasized, however, that this positive correlation between wide geographic separa- tion and relatively low genetic homology is suggested only for the genus Crepis and, perhaps, for other large, recently evolved, but widely dis- tributed genera. As a matter of fact, exactly the opposite relation has been reported in certain genera, such as Philadelphus (Bangham, 1929; Sax, 1931) and Platanus (Sax, 1933). Both of these are old genera. According to Seward (1931), Platanus is one of the oldest of the broad-leaved trees, and we are informed by Chaney (in litt.) that there is no question of its presence in early Tertiary rocks in many parts of the world, including western North America. With respect to Philadelphus, Chaney (1927) has recognized it in middle Tertiary deposits of eastern Oregon, and Cockerell (1908) has recognized it in the Upper Miocene of Colorado. At all events Platanus and Philadelphus are certainly more primitive and certainly much older than Crepis. In both those genera hybrids have been obtained between certain Old World and New World species hav- ing the same chromosome number, and some of these hybrids exhibit complete or nearly complete pairing of the chromosomes, although there is much variation among them with respect to fertility. The perfect or 1936] Babcoch-Emsweller : Meiosis in Interspecific Hybrids in Crepis 357 nearly perfect pairing at diakinesis or IM in these hybrids indicates a high degree of genetic homology in the parental species. Apparently the chromosomes of these widely separated species have undergone insuffi- cient change to prevent pairing although the species have been isolated for millions of years. In the present discussion it is unnecessary to con- sider the problem of stability and plasticity in species and genera. It is sufficient to note that such differences exist and that relations between geographic distribution and genetic homology of species will vary ac- cordingly. Summarizing the evidence on intrageneric relations in Crepis leads to certain generalizations about this genus. Crepis is a large group of closely related species. Although natural major subgeneric groups are clearly indicated and these groups provide a convenient basis for syste- matic classification, yet the species thus classified under different sub- genera are still more or less closely related. That is, their genie com- plements are more or less homologous. This is certainly indicated by the evidence on metaphase pairing in the interspecific hybrids reviewed above. It is supported also by two other categories of evidence. (1) It has already been shown (Babcock and Cameron, 1934; Babcock, 1936) that in several groups of morphologically similar species there is a single karyotype even though the species occupy different geographic areas. Evidently differentiation and distribution has not been accom- panied in these groups by visible marked changes in the chromosomes. Thus the inference seems warranted that speciation has been made pos- sible by a limited number of gene mutations or minute structural changes, leaving the main part of the residual genotype unchanged. (2) This inference is shown to be valid by the results of the investigations on three such groups of species made by Jenkins, Cave, and Smith independently (unpublished data). In each group the interspecific hy- brids studied exhibited almost complete pairing at metaphase ; and genetic experiments with alternative characters in different species proved that these characters are inherited in Mendelian fashion. In general, therefore, the evidence on metaphase pairing in interspecific hybrids in Crepis is consistent with all the other evidence on phylogeny in this genus. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 1. Two subspecies of Crepis setosa, namely, typica from western Eu- rope and Topaliana from Greece, were used in this study. They had been ranked as subspecies because of the differences they exhibited in external morphology. Each subspecies was used as the paternal parent in a cross made with the same plant of C. nicaeensis. The diploid chro- mosome number in both species is 8. The morphology of the chromo- somes of the setosa subspecies is apparently the same, and they differ sufficiently from the members of the nicaeensis genom to make identifi- cation in Pj relatively easy. 2. The interspecific hybrids were produced with difficulty, and only one plant from each cross was available for cytological study. These are designated as hybrid A (nicaeensis $ x setosa typica $) and hybrid B {nicaeensis § x setosa Topaliana <$) . 3. The satellite of the nicaeensis D chromosome was not found in either F x plant, and in each plant there was an increase in the size of the head of this chromosome. 4. Meiosis in the ¥ 1 plants showed that the chromosomes of setosa typica paired very regularly with the nicaeensis chromosomes and ex- hibited a very close association of chromosomes in bivalent formation, whereas those of setosa Topaliana exhibited less regular pairing and looser association. Percentage of good pollen grains was determined and showed a high correlation with meiotic behavior, being much greater in hybrid A than in hybrid B. Comparative fertility under open pollina- tion was consistent with the foregoing evidence. 5. An F, population of 87 plants was grown from hybrid A, and one of 17 plants from hybrid B. In the first group, eighty-four plants were found to contain 24 chromosomes and three plants had 8 chromosomes ; in the second group, fifteen plants had 24 chromosomes and the remain- ing two plants had 8 chromosomes. The 24-chromosome plants were found to have arisen by spontaneous crossing with Crepis biennis. "With the exception of but six plants, they were all biennial. Each of the six that bloomed the first year was slightly fertile under isolated conditions. 6. The F 2 plants with 8 chromosomes were studied carefully because of their unusual chromosome complement. The morphology of these 8 chromosomes indicated that 6 were from setosa — one A, two B, one C, and two D ; and the two remaining were apparently nicaeensis D chro- mosomes. This supposition, however, was not supported by meiotic be- havior, either in F x or in F 2 ; and it was suggested that an exchange of material occurred in F x and that the F 2 chromosomes represent recombi- nation products of this exchange. [358 ] 1936] Bdbcock-Emsweller : Meiosis in Interspecific Hybrids in Crepis 359 7. The various stages in the formation of giant pollen grains in F 2 plants with 8 chromosomes were observed. But polyploids were not ob- tained in F 3 , primarily because of high sterility of the F 2 plants and low viability of the F 3 progeny. Slower germination of the polyploid pollen may have been a secondary factor. 8. The two subspecies of Crepis setosa are so similar morphologically that their classification as different species does not seem to be justified. Although their chromosomes are exactly similar in appearance, yet they must differ somewhat in genetic composition. This is indicated both by the morphological differences between the subspecies, and by the differ- ences in metaphase pairing in hybrids A and B. Classification as subspe- cies, at least for the present, has the advantage of emphasizing their very close affinity. 9. The genus Crepis is a group of closely related species. The sub- genera, Catonia, Eucrepis, and Barkhausia, are not widely differenti- ated, but overlap more or less, and several hybrids have been produced between species of different subgenera. Eleven interspecific hybrids between diploid species have been studied by various investigators with particular reference to the amount of pairing at metaphase. The evi- dence indicates that the genie complements of the fourteen species in- volved are all more or less homologous. This inference is consistent with the evidence on chromosome morphology in the genus, on geographic distribution, and on other results (as yet unpublished) from genetic investigations on groups of closely related species. The evidence on metaphase pairing in interspecific hybrids, therefore, supports the con- ception that the subgenera of Crepis had a common origin and are still more or less similar in genetic composition. LITERATURE CITED Avery, Priscit.t.a 1930. Cytological studies of five interspecific hybrids of Crepis leontodontoides. Univ. Calif. Publ. Agr. Sci., 6:135-167. Babcock, E. B. and Clausen, J. 1929. Meiosis in two species and three hybrids of Crepis and its bearing on taxo- nomic relationship. Univ. Calif. Publ. Agr. Sci., 2:401-432. Babcock, E. B. and Navashin, M. 1930. The genus Crepis. Bibliographia Genetiea, 6:1-90. Babcock, E. B. and Cameron, D. E. 1934. Chromosomes and phylogeny in Crepis II. The relationships of one hundred eight species. Univ. Calif. Publ. Agr. Sci., 6:287-324. Babcock, E. B. and Swezt, O. 1935. The chromosomes of Crepis biennis L. and C. ciliata C. Koch. Cytologia, 6 : 256-265. Babcock, E. B. 1936. The origin of Crepis and related genera with particular reference to distri- bution and chromosome relationships. Univ. Calif. Publ. Bot. Setchell Festschrift Volume: 9-53. Bangham, W. 1929. The chromosomes of some species of the genus Philadelphus. Jour. Arnold Arboretum, 10:167-169. Beadle, G. W. 1930. 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The use of n-butyl alcohol in dehydrating woody tissue for paraffin em- bedding. Sci., 71:103-104. EXPLANATION OF PLATES PLATE 14 Fruiting heads a. Cii pis st tosa h/pica (2623). b. C. setosa Topaliana (2671). c. C. nicaeensis (2700). d. C. nicaeensis JxC. setosa typica £ F t (30.31). e. C. nicaeensis § x C. setosa Topaliana £ F : (30.32). Somatic chromosomes /. Photomicrograph of mitotic metaphase in a root-tip cell of an 8-ehromosome F 2 plant. | 364 | UNIV. CALIF. PUBL. AGR. SCI. VOL. 6 [ B ABCOCK-EMSWELLER] PLATE 14 Y / iVV' / [365 ] PLATE 15 (Crepis nicaeensis x C. setosa typica) J x C. biennis J 1 a-e. Basal leaves from five 24-chromosome plants de- rived from open-pollinated Fj. Crepis nicaeensis x C. setosa typica, F, progeny. /, g. Two of the 8-ehromosome plants. h, i. Two of the plants that died in early rosette stage, before the chromosomes were examined. | 366 ] UNIV. CALIF. PUBL. AGR. SCI. VOL. 6 f B ABCOCK-EM SW ELLER ] PLATE 15 [367]