Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letters to Editor
  • Published:

Partial Fertility of Artificial Hybrids between Asiatic and American Cockleburs (Xanthium strumarium L.)

Nature New Biology volume 246, pages 151–153 (1973)Cite this article

Abstract

MORPHOLOGICALLY diverse populations of cockleburs (Xanthium strumarium L.) occur sympatrically in Europe and Asia and maintain their identity despite reports of gene exchange within the taxon1–4. As early as 1908, Bitter5 produced hybrids between various cockleburs in Europe, and although unable to hybridise X. spinosum L. with X. strumarium, he produced intermediates between the putative indigenous plants of Europe (X. strumarium6, 7 or the strumarium morphological complex1) and other morphological types. To understand the role of hybridisation in the worldwide adaptation of Xanthium, plants of the strumarium morphological complex (X. inaequilaterum DC7, Hong Kong; X. indicum König7, India) were crossed experimentally with plants in the American morphological complexes1, italicum, chinense, pennsylvanicum, cavanillesii, and oviforme. The fertility of these hybrids was compared with that of inter-Asiatic and inter-American F1 plants.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Löve, D., and Dansereau, P., Can. J. Bot., 37, 173 (1959).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Löve, D., and Nadeau, L., Can. J. Genet. Cytol., 3, 289 (1961).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Ray, P. M., and Alexander, W. E., Am. J. Bot., 53, 806 (1966).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Hicks, A., thesis, Univ. Illinois (1971).

  5. Bitter, G., Rassen, Abh. naturwist. Ver. Bremen, 1911, 291 (1908).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Millspaugh, C. F., and Sherff, E. E., Pubis. Field Mus. nat. Hist. 204, Bot. Ser., 4, 9 (1919).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Widder, F. J., in Reprium nov. Spec. Regni veg., 20 (1923).

  8. McMillan, C., Nature, 240, 485 (1972).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. McMillan, C., Can. J. Bot., 51, 221 (1973).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. McMillan, C., Am. J. Bot., 60, 277 (1973).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. McMillan, C., Am. J. Bot., 60, 397 (1973).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. McMillan, C., Can. J. Bot. (in the press).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, and Plant Ecology Research Laboratory, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 78712

    C. McMILLAN

Authors
  1. C. McMILLAN
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

McMILLAN, C. Partial Fertility of Artificial Hybrids between Asiatic and American Cockleburs (Xanthium strumarium L.). Nature New Biology 246, 151–153 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/newbio246151b0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/newbio246151b0

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing