MR. C. T. DRUERY ON APOSPORY. 281 
Notes upon Apospory in a Form of Scolopendrium vulgare, var. 
crispum, and anew Aposporous Athyrium ; also an additional 
phase of Aposporous Development in Lastrea pseudo-mas, 
var. cristata. By Cuartrs T. Drurry, F.L.S. 
[Read 7th December, 1893.] 
(Pare XVIL) 
Tux case of apospory which I have the honour of bringing 
before the Society this evening is an entirely new one, in so far 
as it is exhibited by a fresh and apparently most unlikely species, 
viz. Scolopendrium vulgare, the normal smooth-edged strap-shaped 
fronds of which seem to offer no outlet for apical apospory, 
displaying, as they do, not the slightest tendency towards the 
formation of the slender lateral projections with which the 
phenomenon is usually associated in its apical form. 
It was on a special visit to Mr. T. Bolton of Warton, near 
Carnforth, in August last to inspect a new aposporous Athyrium, 
to which I will later refer, that I came across the case now under 
notice in the shape of a variety of Scolopendriwm vulgare, known 
as Scolopendrium var. crispum Drummonde, found many years 
ago by Miss Drummond near Falmouth. This is a very singular 
compound variety in which the fronds are very long and narrow, 
finely frilled, and bearing, in addition, broad flat digitate crests 
often 9 inches across. Another peculiar feature is that the 
midrib is deeply undulated several times perpendicularly to the 
plane of the frond, and finally the margins of the frills are deeply 
cut into long fimbriate projections. 
Mr. Bolton kindly sent mea plant, and on its receipt I at 
once perceived that in many cases the apices of these projections 
were bifid and translucent, presenting all the features of inci- 
pient prothalli. I consequently cut off a number of these with 
a small portion of attached frond, and inserted them in sterilized 
soil so that the terminal points or bifurcations were in contact 
therewith. In a few days evident signs of growth were visible, 
and in a week or two distinct prothalli of more or less cordate 
form and of normal size were developed, twin prothalli resulting 
in some cases, each limb of the bifurcations having developed 
independently. Root-hairs, however, were very tardy in ap- 
pearing, due probably to the fact that growth was sustained by 
absorption through the adherent portions of frond; later on, 
however, they appeared somewhat abundantly, though hardly in 
LINN. JOURN.—BOTANY, VOL. XXX. x 
