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Befruchtet wurde:
1. Die Hy­bri­de mit dem Pol­len von AB.
2. Die Hy­bri­de „ „ „ „ ab.
3. AB „ „ „ der Hy­bri­de.
4. ab „ „ „ der Hy­bri­de.
Fertilized was:
1. the hy­brid with pol­len from AB.
2. the hy­brid „ „ „ ab.
3. AB „ „ „ the hy­brid.
4. ab „ „ „ the hy­brid.

It is significant that Mendel does not use his notation system to designate the genetic constitution of the hybrid (by writing AaBb) but uses the word Hybride instead. After all, assumptions about the genetic constitution of hybrids are exactly what he aims to test here.

The table is carefully constructed by Mendel. The inverted position of “AB”, “ab”, and “the hybrid” indicate reciprocal crossings, so lines 1 and 3 as well as 2 and 4 respectively combine the same factors. The first position in each line is occupied by the (female) seed plant and the second by the (male) pollen plant, so that the trials in lines 1 and 2 test the genetic constitution of hybrid germ cells, those in lines 3 and 4 that of hybrid pollen cells. Mendel states this explicitly also on p. 26, s. 4. It is curious that he repeats “Hybride” in all rows of this table, instead of using inverted commas as he does for other words repeated in the table.

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