ME. F. O. BOWEE ON APOSPOJiY IN PEEKS. 



3G5 



dium Filix-mas, var. cristatum, Aspidium falcatum) ; and by 

 Sadebeck * in Todea africana. The phenomenon now passes under 

 the name of apogamy. The prothalli in the cases named produce 

 either constantly or frequently, by direct budding, new Fern- 

 plants, without the sexual organs (which may or may not be 

 developed) taking any direct part in their origin. This may be 

 represented graphically thus : — 



Diag. 3. 



Sporophoro 

 orF&mPland 



TrotJiaUae 

 orOophore> 



Till Mr. Druery communicated his two papers to this Society, 

 no observations bearing upon the converse case, viz. that of the 

 excision of the spore from the cycle of life of the Fern, had been 

 published, though the phenomenon had been artificially induced 

 in certain Mosses. We now see in the case of Aihyrium Filix- 

 fcemina, var. clarissima, that the spores are not developed, but 

 that there is a direct passage by a purely vegetative growth from 

 the sporophore generation to the oophore ; and that in this plant 

 the prothallus originates, as a rule, from the arrested sporan- 

 gium. This may be graphically represented thus : — 



Diag. 4. 



t?/oore 



Trothallus 



lerw Plant' 



4 



Sexual' 



* Schcnk's ' Handbuch ' I'd. i. p. '234. 



