Smith, Dale M. and Donald A. Levin. (U. Illinois, Urbana.) A chromatographic study of reticulate evolution in the Appalachian Asplenium complex. Amer. Jour. Bot. 50(9): 952–958. Ilus. 1963.—The reticulate relationships of the members of the Appalachian Asplenium complex were studied by means of paper chromatography. Substances could be observed with ultraviolet light in the presence of ammonia vapor in all the taxa of the complex. The diploid species (A. montanum, A. platyneuron and A. rhizophyllum) had characteristic biochemical substances. Interspecific hybrids and/or their allotetraploid derivatives showed a complete complementation of all the substances of their known or presumed diploid ancestors. A combination of all the substances of the 3 diploids was found in the hybrids A. X kentuckiense and A. X gravesii. The results agree in all respects with the concept of reticulate evolution in the group which was advanced by Wagner on the basis of comparative morphology, hybridization and karyology.
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