[Demonstration of transposition in Portulaca grandiflora (HOOK)]

The gene C of Portulaca grandiflora encodes a product required for the synthesis of flower pigment. The cmI allele gives white flowers with violet spots and sectors. It is also germinally unstable and can give rise to a series of cm alleles conferring different flower color phenotypes. These findings suggest that allele C may be rendered genetically unstable as a consequence of transposable element insertion and excision.