Natural hybridization in JapaneseCalamagrostis

Abstract

Morphological and pollen studies were made for the collections belonging toCalamagrostis langsdorffii, C. Sachalinensis, C. longiseta, C. nana and various intermediates between these species from central Honshu, the chromosome numbers of which were reported in a previous paper (Tateoka, 1976). Additional collections made from the Akaishi Range in 1976 were also subjected to the present work. The intermediates showed 0%, or nearly 0%, pollen stainability and a mosaic of morphological features of putative parental taxa which can be estimated to occur for F₁ hybrids. This estimation was sustained by a comparison with the pattern of character expressions for the artificially raised F₁ hybrids of various European species ofCalamagrostis as reported by Nygren (1962). These results as well as field observations strongly suggested that the intermediates may be wholly or almost wholly F₁ hybrids. The hybrids were sometimes found in abundance within a limited area, but seemed to have little capacity to migrate from the places where they originated. The following combinations, which were not previously recorded, were disclosed:C. longiseta×C. sachalinensis, C. langsdorffii×C. nana, C. langsdorffii×C. longiseta, C. longiseta×C. nana. Possibilities of introgression in these hybridizing species were discussed. The hybrids were tetraploids except one hexaploid which was discovered in a mixed population ofC. nana, C. longiseta and their putative F₁ hybrids at the tetraploid level. The hexaploid in question, which seemed to have resulted from the participation of an unreduced gamete, was very similar morphologically toC. nana subsp.hayachinensis distributed in the mountain far distant from central Honshu. Geographical distributions of the hybrid plants were surveyed through examination of the herbarium specimens.