Induced Adventitious Growth in the 

 Gemnnae of Marchantia 



By 



Isaburo Nagai 



The gemmae of Marchantia make only dorsiventral growth from 

 the isolaterally fixed growing-points under normal condition (see 

 Pfeffer : 1904, II, p. 180). Vochting (1885) to whom the knowledge 

 on the subject owes much, describes as follows : " die Brutknospe ist 

 eine Zwillingsbildung, deren neutrale Ebene mit der kleinen Durchsnitts- 

 ebene des Korpers zusammenfiillt. Rechts und links von dieser Ebene 

 ist jedcs Stuck der Knospe polar gebaut, so zwar, dass bei Theilungs- 

 versuchen das Wachsthum nur an der ihr abgewandten Enden erfolgt. 

 Die Polaritat der Laubfliichen nimmt also an der Brutknospe ihrem 

 Ursprung, und zwar beginnt sie schon mit der ersten Flachenwand, 

 welche in derjenigen Knospenanlage auftritt. Die Vegetationspunkte an 

 der Knospe sind nur ein Ausdruck, nur cine Folge jener Polaritat " 

 (p. 406). 



The writer found that the cells on the surface of the gemmae except 

 oil cells were able to grow adventitiously when they were treated with 

 the hypertonic solution and subsequently placed in the hypotonic 

 nutrient solution. Such treatment was already found to cause the 

 adventitious growth in the cells of prothallia of certain species of ferns 

 (Nagai: 1913). 



When the gemmae of Marchantia polymorpha, M. diptera, and M. 

 sp. were placed on the hypertonic solution, say 10% potassium nitrate, 

 most of the cells were plasmolyzed which were watched under micro- 

 scope. After having been plasmolyzed, they were removed from the 

 solution by the sterilized platinum wire or sharp needle to the hypotonic 

 Knop's solution, and in which they were allowed to grow. The cells 

 of gemmae were sensitive to the treatment and in some instance a part 

 or the entire gemma was killed. The accumulation of starch was 



