145 



THE GERMINATION IN 0. PENDULUM. 



The earliest germination stages of 0. pendulum were first 

 found by the writer in 1892, when spores of this species were 

 collected in the Hawaiian Islands and successfully grown up 

 to a condition with three cells, but all efforts to carry them 

 beyond this stage failed. It was decided to make new experi- 

 ments, if possible, and to this end ripe spores were collected 

 both in Ceylon (in the Barawa Forest and at Peradeniya) and in 

 Java (at Tjibodas). The spores were sown on wet humus taken 

 from the stratum where the plants were growing. This humus 

 was kept in wide mouthed bottles, and these were successfully 

 carried from Ceylon to Java, and some of them reached Cali- 

 fornia in good condition. 



Germination in this species is slow, and it was about a 

 month before the first stages of germination were seen. Spores 

 sown in Tjibodas on April 18th w^ere first found germinating 

 at Buitenzorg on May 24:th, at this time germination being 

 pretty well advanced. Some of these were still alive and in 

 good condition in September, but have not been examined 

 since. On June 3d a number of these had three cells. The 

 germination in all cases corresponds exactly with the writer's 

 former observations, and differs in no way from that in 0. 

 moluccanum. In no cases could any trace of clorophyll be seen, 

 and apparently the pro thallium of 0. pendulum is strictly 

 saprophytic throughout its existence. 



A small amount of the rare 0. intermedium was collected 

 near Buitenzorg, and a few ripe spores were secured. These 

 spores contained somewhat less dense contents than those of 

 the two preceding species, and have a more delicate epispore. 

 Spores were sown on March 30th in Buitenzorg, and when 

 examined about weeks later no germinations were found, nor 

 did a second examination, — about the end of April — show 

 any further results. On May 21st, however, two 3-celled pro- 

 thallia were found, and subsequently a small number of others, 

 but no later stages were discovered. These young prothallia 



