The short growing season and long day-lengths during summer in Massachusetts make it a poor location compared to sub-tropical and tropical areas to study the inheritance and linkage of perennialism from diploperennis. After a series of killing frosts in late October and early November, the stalks of diploperennis as well as its F1 hybrid with maize and of a majority of plants in an F2 maize-teosinte segregation remained alive (green) with only the leaves being dead. In contrast both stalks and leaves of annual corn had been dead for about one month. Four of the evergreen stalk segregates from the F2 were dug from the field and transferred to the greenhouse. They have now developed a flush of basal shoots, indicating the validity of classifying for evergreen stalks as one component of perennialism.

Walton C. Galinat

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