Online published on 25 January, 2012.
Linum humile and L. decumbens are crossablc in both ways and set good percentage of fruits and viable seeds. The hybrid of these two species showed sterility to some extent which was presumably genic in origin. The reciprocal cross behaved in a similar fashion. Crosses of L. humile and L. decumbens with L. grandiflorum (S) as male, were unsuccessful due to somatoplastic sterility. In the reciprocal crosses the pollen tube growth is inhibited due to either pollen/style chromosome ratio or presence of inhibitory substance(s) in the style. Crosses of the species L. humile and L. decumbens with L. grandiflorum (L) as male were unsuccessful due to inability of the pollen grains to germinate on the stigma. The reciprocal crosses were unsuccessful due to the inhibition of pollen tube, as in the cross with L. grandiflorum(S) as female. With regard to the relationship among the species used in the present study L. humile is taxonomically close to L. decumbens, but L. grandiflorum differs widely from these two species.
