M. Miiller on the Development of Cliara. ^57 



Two othe?' cells, which lie beneath its base and thus flatten it, 

 are also situated within the spore-sac, which surrounds them like 

 a collar. They only form the means of attaching the spores and 

 constitute the direct conductors of the nutritive fluid for the 

 latter. They contain a green mass which is usually spherical. 

 The lowest cell fixes the whole fruit, and to it the spore-sac is 

 also attached between two branches of the stem (PI. V. figs. 1 

 and 2). 



§ 3. The Germinating Spore. 



The period of the development of the germ appears to vary in 

 different species. Bischoff"* states on this point, that those Choree 

 which mature their fruit in autumn germinate in the mud of 

 their pools in the spring, and that those which ripen earlier ger- 

 minate in the autumn. I can confirm the latter statement in 

 Char a vulgaris and hispida, both of which I saw germinating in the 

 October of 1844. This disproves Kiitzing's remark f, that in our 

 climate no Charce remain through the winter, and that all are 

 propagated in the spring, partly from seeds and partly from buds. 

 Moreover, much depends upon the temperature of the atmosphere, 

 consequently also of the water, although this can hardly com- 

 pletely prevent the occurrence of a vernal germinating process 

 from absence of heat. 



However, as soon as the parent plant fulfils its purpose, the 

 development of the fruit, it decays from the disintegration of its 

 parts, and the fruits thus reach the mud of the water, or before 

 this happens spontaneously separate from the cells of the stalk, 

 as in Chara crinita, in which the parent plants continue to live 

 for a considerable time afterwards. 



After having arrived in this medium, the spore-sac is dissolved 

 from the spores ; this is usually caused by decay. The spore is 

 thus exposed to the immediate action of the water, but neverthe- 

 less requires a considerable time before it is capable of develop- 

 ment. 



A simple process ensues within it ; for the starch-cells swell 

 from the imbibed water and assume another state of aggregation. 

 They break up into a mucous, oily-looking mass, which is filled 

 with extremely delicate and minute granules. I have observed 

 this disintegi'ation directly and distinctly, as seen in fig. 20. After 

 having looked at the small brown cells for some time under the 

 microscope, and carefully moved them to and fro with a lancet 

 to ascertain their form and size they suddenly became flattened, 

 and in their place there appeared a considerably larger globular 

 mass (fig. 20), which only diff'ered from the former in its uncom- 

 monly delicate mucous structure and its much greater transpa- 



* Z. c. i>.8. . . * t Z. c. p.318. 



