Diane, Jim, et al, this is the very article I still cannot find! (I may have read it in the doctors office! Diane, you are amazing!) There was, also, an article in The Garden which lightly touched on non-diploid ploidies, which were often found in extreme climates. The gist of the theory was, that during the various ice ages, tetraploids were often the survivours and latter repopulated their earlier range. Now, even I have a few questions, here, as this is very over simplified in my book, but, when one considers studies of tetraploids found inside of the arctic circle, as well as hexaploids and company found at high elevations, which are both postulated as being the product of increased radiation levels (over many generations) and a harsh environ, I was able to make the jump to tetraploids, as survivours, repopulating decimated diploid habitats after an ice age. Indeed, under the Paeonia, there are species that, other than their ploidy, are extremely similar. Again, we jump on the head of the pin and define species, but I still find this an interesting theory, which does have physical evidence in the form of unexpected ploidies. I suppose one could research it and find the required evidence to support either argument, at this point, but the arguments are interesting! I've always hoped someone would find tetraploid Hemerocallis in the northern most distribution, but apparently none until now have been recorded. Ciao, Jamie V. Cologne ----- Original Message ----- From: "Diane Whitehead" <voltaire@islandnet.com> To: "Pacific Bulb Society" <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> Sent: Saturday, February 14, 2004 12:59 AM Subject: Re: [pbs] Lycoris/ Peony Ploidy > > I'll try to dig up an > >article I read on sub-arctic polyploids and high-altitude lobelias. > > This one? > > "The giant lobelias consist of a Chilean hexaploid group and a > pantropical tetraploid group." > > from > "Chloroplast Genome Rearrangements and the Evolution of > Giant Lobelias from Herbaceous Ancestors " > Eric B. Knox, * Stephen R. Downie,t and Jeffrey D. Palmer > Mol. Biol. Evol. 10(2):414-430. 1993. > > > Diane Whitehead > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php >