One hundred eighty‐six clones of Lemnaceae, representing world‐wide collections of 22 taxa, were grown in axenic cultures reproduced by clonal subcultures. Following morphological examinations under a range of culture conditions, a “key” clone was selected to represent each taxon. These key clones were completely representative of the qualitative flavonoid chemistry of the taxa as determined from a number of clones. With the exceptions of Spirodela polyrhiza and S. biperforala which produce identical flavonoids, the flavonoid associations of each species of Lemnaceae were unique in the family. Through paper chromatographic comparisons of purified compounds, plus visible and ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy of isolated individual flavonoids, a total of 47 different compounds was described. These substances included: glycosides of anthocyanidins (cyanidin and petunidin); glycosides of flavonols (kaempferol and quercetin); glycosides of flavones (apigenin and luteolin); and several glycoflavones (C‐glycosyl‐flavones). When grown under equivalent controlled conditions of culture, infraspecific variation in the qualitative production of these 47 flavonoids was detected in only one flavone glycoside of the species Lemna perpusilla. The reliability of the flavonoid patterns under various conditions of culture was investigated. Under 62 different regimes S. oligorhiza and S. polyrhiza showed only minor variations in their flavonoid glycosides. Studies of other taxa supported this generalization. Under controlled conditions, morphological intergradation obscured identification of many collections. Each could be conclusively identified by its flavonoid chemistry.

Alston, R. E., and B. L. Turner. (U. Texas, Austin.) Natural hybridization among four species of Baptisia (Leguminosae). Amer. Jour. Bot. 50(2): 159–173. Illus. 1963.— Interspecific hybridization involving 4 species of Baptisia (B. leucophaea, B. sphaerocarpa, B. nuttalliana, and B. leucantha) has been studied by means of extensive field work and subsequent morphological and chromatographic analyses. As a result of these studies, numerous hybridizing populations involving any 2, 3 and, in 1 instance, 4 species have been located. Near Dayton, Texas, all 4 species and all 6 of the possible 2‐way hybrid combinations have been found in a single field. Approximately 125 different chemical compounds have now been detected in the 4 species. Many of these compounds serve as species specific markers useful in the validation of specific hybrid types. Hybrids between B. leucophaea and B. sphaerocarpa and between B. leucophaea and B. nuttalliana are numerous, and in these large hybrid swarms a chromatographic and morphological analysis of population structure is possible. The former combination provides an excellent opportunity for the utilization of chemical markers as criteria for introgressive hybridization. The hybrid B. leucantha × B. sphaerocarpa is frequently encountered and contains a large number of compounds species‐specific for one or the other parental species. The other 3 hybrid types have been found infrequently. Certain hybrid types are generally similar morphologically (e.g., B. leucantha × B. sphaerocarpa as opposed to B. leucantha × B. nuttalliana), and chromatographic techniques are of great value in the absolute identification of such plants, especially in complex populations where backcrossing further complicates the interpretation of the background of a plant from exomorphic features alone.

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