Abstract
An F1 hybrid plant of Petunia hybrida 'Violet' x 'White' produced a spontaneously mutated branch with leaves displaying white or yellow variegation on the margin. Morphological observation showed that the mutant had abnormal plastids which caused the white or yellow leaf color. The polypeptide pattern of the thylakoid protein in the variegated area differed from that in normal leaf and green area of the mutant. The data relating to selfing and backcrossing of the mutant with normal 'Violet' and 'White' showed that the abnormal plastids were almost totally maternally inherited, that is, the progenies from crosses with the mutant as female parent were almost all albino. However, variegated progenies were also occasionally observed when the mutant was used as the female parent. The results of this study suggest that normal chloroplasts were transmitted exceptionally from paternal parent or from green plastids occasionally kept in the generative cells of the maternal parent.
