THREE NEW CHROMOSOMAL TRANSLOCATIONS IN HAWORTHIA

Abstract

In one plant of a small-leaved form of Haworthia glauca a centric fusion type of reciprocal translocation was found between two long chromosomes with subterminal centromeres that interchanged to form a long metacentric and a short acrocentric chromosome; the latter is larger than the normal short chromosomes of the complement and consists of the short arms of the two original long chromosomes. In a typical plant of the same species a similar interchange was followed or accompanied by a second interchange between the short translocation chromosomes and a normal short chromosome to form a somewhat intermediate-sized acrocentric and a very short metacentric chromosome. In a plant of H. fulva a long and a short chromosome interchanged to produce two intermediate-sized acrocentric chromosomes. Possible evolutionary implications of these interchanges are discussed.