604 SUMMAEY OF CURRENT RESEA.RCHES RELATING TO 



Paraspores of Ceramiacese.* — J. Schiller writes on the structure, 

 development, germination, and significance of the paraspores of Cerami- 

 aceas. The species studied were Seirospora Griffithsiana, Antithamnion 

 plumula, and Ceramium strirtum, collected in the Adriatic. Tetraspores 

 and paraspores occurred very generally on the same individual. The 

 paraspores are surrounded by a thick membrane, on which was visible 

 a slight stratification. The actual contents are enclosed by a thin 

 epidermis, against which lie the chromatophores— small plates or 

 roundish bodies embedded in dense peripheral protoplasm. This is 

 connected with the protoplasm surrounding the nucleus by means of 

 thick protoplasmic strands. There are four or five largish vacuoles. 

 The nucleus is large, of variable form. In the structure of protoplasm 

 and nucleus no difference exists between the tetraspore mother-cell and 

 the paraspores. The contents of the paraspores escape from the thick 

 membrane and germinate without any resting-stage. Paraspore-bearing 

 plants of Antithamnion plumula are apparently confined to South 

 European seas. As in Seirospora only tetrasporic j^lants bear paraspores, 

 which take the place of the short branches near to the apex of the long 

 shoots ; these then cease growing. The number of paraspores in one 

 sorus often reaches 170. Ceramium strictnm possesses two kinds of 

 paraspores, uamely " polyspores " and " spore-sori." Both that species 

 and Ayitithamnion flourish in water polluted by sewage. The author 

 discusses at length the developmental significance of paraspores, and 

 compares them with the monospores of Monospora pedicellata and with 

 the polyspores of Pleonosporiiim. Other instances of paraspores in 

 Ceramiacese are quoted, which together form a developmental series, 

 ending in the "spore-sori" of Ceramium strictum. 



Cystocarps of Antithamnion and Prionitis.t — L. L. Daines writes 

 on the comparative development of the cystocarps of Antithamnion and 

 Frionitis. Both species were examined as separate studies, and it was 

 ound that the cystocarpic development is very similar. Antithamnion 

 floccosiim is considered in detail, and the slight characters are pointed 

 out in which it differs from other species of the genus and from Flaty- 

 thamnion heteroynorphum. The author then gives an historical account 

 of the work done on Prionitis, followed by a description of his own 

 investigations on P. Lyallii. He finds that the development of the 

 cystocarps in Grateloupiaceae, so far as Prionitis is concerned, differs 

 in very important details from Berthold's descriptions which are gener- 

 ally accepted, and that certain species of Grateloupia that were examined 

 confirm this opinion. There is a close resem])lance in cystocarpic 

 development between Prionitis and Antitltamnion., and the author con- 

 cludes that the GrateloupiaceaB are more nearly related to Ceramiaceae 

 than to Grloiosiphoniacese. He therefore includes Grateloupiace^e in 

 the Ceramiales in the sense of Oltmanns. Finally, he defines the five 

 groups of Floridese on the differences in their cystocarpic development. 



Queensland Florideae.:]: — A. D. Cotton publishes notes on some 

 Queensland marine algae, principally in reference to their morphology 



* Oesterr. Bot. Zeitschr., Ixiii. (1913) pp. 144-9, 203-10 (3 pis. and figs, in text), 

 t Univ. California Publications (Bot.) iv. (1913) pp. 283-302 (3 pis.). 

 X Kew Bulletin, 1913, pp. 252-5. 



