60 



seed, protected by the stoney coat passes through the intesti- 

 nal canal unharmed they thus contribute to the distribution 

 of the species. 



In the same year Strasburger ') wrote again about Gneta- 

 ceae but this paper contains nothing about the organogeny of 

 the female flower. 



The following year a new contribution to the knowledge of 

 the Gnetaceae ^) appeared , written by G. Karsten. This also 

 contains nothing about organogeny. 



Finally there appeared a new work of Karsten^) on Gnetum. 

 He states on p. 347 that the middle integument in the incom- 

 plete female flowers during development becomes more and 

 more rudimentary so that finally in the older flowers no trace 

 of it can be discovered any more. He further states p. 348/49 

 that later on these incomplete flowers which, contrary to all 

 other species, become rather large and are pushed out so that 

 they are plainly visible, secrete for a long time a fluid by 

 desorganisation of the nucellar tissue. He supposes that they 

 are acquiring the functions of nectaries and may serve to at- 

 tract insects to help in pollination. The fluid has a sweet sugar- 

 like taste. 



He furthermore (p. 377) describes the anatomical structure 

 of the integuments of the complete female flowers and fruits 

 of Gnetum Gnemon L. 



In 1894 a work on Ephedra appeared which though not con- 

 taining anything about the organogeny of the Gnetum-flowers 

 yet gives us some noteworthy suggestions as to the homolo- 

 gies of the parts of our Gnetum's ''). 



1) Strasburgek, Ueber das Verhalten des Pollens und die Befruchtungsvorgange 

 bei ken Gymnospermen. Histologische Beitrage, Heft IV. Jena. Fischer 1892. 



2) G. Karsten. Untersucbungen ueber die Gattuug Gnetum L. Beitrag zur syste- 

 matischen Kentniss der Gnetuui-Arten im Sunda-archipel. Annales du Jardin Bota- 

 nique de Buitenzorg. Vol. XI. Leide 1893, p. 194. 



3) G. Karsten. Zur Entwickelungsgeschichte der Gattung Gnetum. Taf. VIII— XI. 

 Cohn. Beitr. z. Biol. d. Pflzn. Breslau. Bd. VI Heft 3. 1893. 



4) P. Jaccard. Eechercbea embryologiques sur I'Ephedra Helvetica. Zurich dis- 

 sertation. Also in Bullet, de la Soci^td Vaudoise Vol, XXX. 1894. 



