470 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [june 



apogamy in these cases were not induced by cultural conditions. 

 He believes that if apospory might be expected to occur anywhere 

 in the plant kingdom, it is in the Hymenophyllaceae, the game- 

 tophyte and sporophyte of which are more nearly alike in some 

 respects than in any other homosporous ferns. Bower (4) later 

 attempted to induce apospory in more than 46 species and varieties 

 of ferns by placing the fronds with immature sporangia on moist 

 sphagnum. In not a single instance, however, were gametophytic 

 outgrowths obtained. In regard to the difhculty with which apos- 

 pory is induced, he makes the following statement: "There is a 

 marked disability on the part of ferns to bridge over the limits of 

 the two generations by other means than by the formation of 

 spores; the phenomenon is by no means a promiscuous one occur- 

 ring readily and often, but a rare process, which seems to appear 

 spontaneously under conditions not yet understood and is not 

 readily induced." 



Farlow (12) found apospory in Pteris aquilina L. Prothallial 

 growths were produced from sporangia which had aborted in their 

 development. No advanced stages in the development of the 

 prothalHa were observed. 



The first case of apospory from the young sporophyte of a fern 

 was discovered by Druery (9) in a Lastrea variety (probably 

 Lastrea pseudomas var. cristata). Later Druery (id) also induced 

 gametophytes aposporously by placing on moist soil portions of the 

 leaves of Scolopendrium vulgar e var. crispum Drummondae. The 

 prothallia of this species developed both sex organs. Apical 

 apospory was reported by Druery in Athyrium Filix-foemina var. 

 darissima Bolton. He grew sporophytes from the aposporously 

 produced prothallia of Lastrea pseudo-mas var. cristata. These were 

 of apogamic origin and of interest since they possessed characters 

 of both sporophyte and gametophyte. 



Stansfield (20) brought into contact with the soil portions of 

 the fronds of Athyrium Filix-foemina var. uncoglomeratum and thus 

 induced gametophytes aposporously. When " pinnule ts'' and 

 "leaflets" of young sporophytes, produced by the prothaUia of 

 aposporous origin, were pinned down to the soil, he again obtained 

 readily the gametophyte generation. From the young sporophytes 



