John Bryan asked "Jim, could you explain somatic mutations? " I'm glad you asked this, John because it gives me the chance to tie together some disparate threads in my past postings. Somatic mutations are nothing more than what gardeners for centuries have called sports. In the old days, with no knowledge of genetics and cell division, this process must have seemed very mysterious. Somatic mutations are also the basis for my repeated assertion that the elements which make up a clone are not necessarily genetically uniform. There are many ways of classifying the cells in an organism. One way is to make the distinction between germinal cells (those which produce gametes, reproductive cells) and the cells which make up most of the body of the organism in question (somatic cells). In plants, somatic cells containing mutations might survive and continue to divide. Not only that, but if the plant in question is one being subjected to intense asexual reproduction, there is always the possibility that entities will result which contain only the mutated cells or a majority of mutated cells. If the mutation in question is one which results in a grossly visible difference, then the gardener calls it a sport and treats it as a new variety. On the other hand, when mutations occur in the germinal cells which produce gametes (eggs, sperm), the results are not likely to be visible in the organism; however, because these cells produce gametes, such mutations can be passed on to the progeny which result from sexual reproduction. That is why if you hybridize with plants whose distinctive characteristics are the result of somatic mutations, any progeny which result will almost certainly show the pre-somatic mutation characteristics. For instance, if you cross parrot tulips with parrot tulips, chances are the resulting progeny will be ordinary single tulips with not a parrot tulip among them. On the other hand, if you have a plant in which a mutation has occurred in the germinal cells, there is a good chance that such a mutation will be passed on to the progeny and, subject to the usual rules of genetic expression, be apparent in such progeny. A simple example: plants which typically produce red flowers often have yellow variants which are the result of a relatively simple mutation in the germinal cells. If you cross two such yellow flowered plants, chances are good that you will get plenty of yellow flowered progeny rather than the typical red (assuming the yellow is a simple recessive to the red). That's it in a nutshell. For those who want more information, go to Google. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7 My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/