Date: Wed, 20 Aug 1997 08:17:42 From: SCHLAUER@chemie.uni-wuerzburg.de To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg3178$foo@default> Subject: Re: Brazilian Expedition part 16
Dear Fernando,
> Suddenly, unexpectedly, right at my feet, there was another 'OHMYGOD'!!
> And then it became a 'WHATIZIT?!?!' And then it became a 'WHATTHEHELLIZIT?!?!'
> There I was, at the type location for D.h.hirtella and D.h.lutescens and
> instead of finding either one or both, I find something which is like a cross
> between both taxa, with characteristics of both present very clearly and
> separately.
> The deep purple-red color and narrow oblong-spatulate shape of the
> leaves were like those of D.h.lutescens (in D.h.hirtella they are more
> spatulate-cuneate and usually a reddish-green color), the scapes were
> strongly ascending as in D.h.hirtella (in D.h.lutescens they have only a
> shallow curve at the base of the scape) and of a yellowish color as in
> D.h.lutescens (they are red or reddish in D.h.hirtella), plus the crisp simple
> hairs on the scape were red as in D.h.hirtella (yellow in D.h.lutescens)!!!!!
> I was facing a little genetic monster!!
Ever thought about variability? At least this was what Eichler did
more than hundred years ago when he saw specimens of _D. hirtella_
and _D.h.lutescens_. He considered "lutescens" (from various
localities, I think) to constitute a transition to _D. montana_. This
was most probably also the reason why Diels united all these variants
under _D. montana_.
Kind regards
Jan
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Tue Jan 02 2001 - 17:31:07 PST