156 



The branching is very irregular and old fragments kept moist 

 often send out great numbers of adventitious buds. (Fig. 39) 

 which probably in time develop into normal l)ranclies. 



Figures 34—38 show a number of the commoner forms. 

 Figure 34 represents the largest one met with. This is by no 

 means complete, as a nuuiber of branches were unavoidable 

 broken off in removing it from among the tangle of roots in 

 which it was imbedded. This measnres about 15, millimeters in 

 diameter — more than twice the size of the largest specimen 

 secured by Lang. It is also very much more extensively 

 branched and considerably flattened by pressure. The surface 

 of the older parts of the prothallia shows a slightly roughened 

 appearance due to the numerous very short papillate hairs 

 which occur abundantly upon it. They are never of the slender 

 pointed form found in O. jnoluccanum. The em])iy SLniheridm -Ave 

 very conspicuous, a'ld appear as light brown spots readily 

 seen with the naked 63^6. (Figures 35 — 36). The branching is 

 in some cases dichotomous, but lateral branches may arise at 

 almost any point, and old fragments of the prothallia, as al- 

 ready indicated, often develop many adventitious buds. Bruch- 

 MANN describes somewhat similar buds in 0. vulgatum. It is 

 seen that the form of prothallia is thus exceedingly variable. 

 The rate of growth of the prothallia kept by the writer, as 

 well as their position in the humus about the plant, indicate 

 that they are very long lived, and as has already been indi- 

 cated, the ready separation of branches which thus form new 

 individuals practically makes the duration unlimited. 



In the preparation of the material collected it was fixed 

 partly with P/o chromic acid and partly with Fj.emming's weak 

 solution. Both methods gave good results and no diflficultj 

 was experienced in making excellent preparations of the repro- 

 ductive organs and embryo. The same double stain of gentian 

 violet and safranine was employed as in the case of (J. mo- 

 luccanum. 



The arrangement of the tissues in the prothallium of 

 0. Pendulum is much the same as in 0. moluccanum, but 



