HISTORICAL SKETCH 



23 





Alchemilla, belonging to the section Eualchemilla, develop partheno- 

 genetically without any chromosome change in the life cycle. 



The Twentieth Century. The year 1900 marked the beginning 

 of a new era in angiosperm embryology. By this time most of the 

 facts on the development of the gametophytes and embryo had been 

 discovered, and an able summary of the literature was given by 

 Coulter and Chamberlain (1903) in their book entitled "Morphology 

 of Angiosperms." The stage was now set for more detailed inves- 

 tigations of special topics to clear 

 up previous obscurities, and for 

 studies of a comparative nature 

 on whole families and orders to 

 determine what light embryo- 

 logy could throw on problems 

 of taxonomy. 



To outline the contributions 

 of the numerous individuals who 

 have been engaged in such studies 

 during recent years is out of place 

 in this brief and introductory 

 sketch but will be attempted in 

 the following chapters . Mention 

 may be made here of the names 

 of a few whose contributions 

 have been especially noteworthy. 



Among modern students of the 

 subject, the name of the late 

 Karl Schnarf of Vienna stands 

 preeminent. His two works entitled "Embryologie der Angio- 

 spermen" (1929) and "Vergleichende Embryologie der Angiosper- 

 men" (1931) are the most important and exhaustive treatises 

 in this field, and still serve as valuable works of reference. E. C. R. 

 Soueges of France has distinguished himself by his painstaking 

 studies on the development of the embryo in several families and 

 genera of both dicotyledons and monocotyledons; and W. W. Finn 

 in the Ukraine has similarly engaged himself in a study of the 

 development and structure of the male gametophyte. In Swe- 

 den, Sv. Murbeck, 0. Rosenberg, and the late H. O. Juel in- 

 spired a flourishing school of research on all phases of embryology 



Fig. 22. Karl Schnarf. 



