Fortpflanzung. 361 



1151) Eames, A. J. (Harvard-University), The morphology of Agathis 

 ausiralis. In: Annais of Botany, Bd. 27, Heft 1, S. 1—38, PI. 1—5, 1913. 



Agathis (iiistralis, the Kauri-pine, is a well known timber-tree endemic in 

 New Zealand. The species is monoecious, ovulate and staminate cones appearing 

 on the same tree. Fertilization takes place more than a year after pollination. 

 The female gametophyte bears numerous scattered archegonia. The two male 

 elements are cells of unequal size, whose cytoplasra as well as nucleus enters 

 the egg. The larger male nucleus is as large as the huge egg nucleus. The fusion 

 nucleus is surrounded by a sheath of kinoplasm and the first division spindle is 

 small and intranuclear. The two daughter uuclei remain enclosed in the kino- 

 plasmic sheath. Five or six successive nuclear mitoses occur and then wall for- 

 mation takes place, the pro-embryo thus containing 32 to 64 nuclei. Before 

 wall formation the nuclei group themselves in three tiers and a cap of dense 

 cytoplasm accumulates at the upper end of the pro-embryo. After wall forma- 

 tion the three tiers become respectively the suspensor, the embryo (a group of 

 8—12 cubical central cells) and the cap. The function of the cap is to pene- 

 trate the endosperm, and it soon disappears, while the suspensors elongate. 



Affinities to other Gymnosperms are discussed, and it is concluded that the 

 Araucarians are "a highly specialized brauch of the Conifers, derived far back 

 from some stock possessing abietinous characters". Gates (London). 



1152) Siniiott, E. W. (Harvard-University), The morphology of the re- 

 productive structures in the Podocarpineae. In: Annais of Botany, 

 Bd. 27, Heft 1, S. 39—82, PI. 5—19, 1913. 



This investigation is based upon material of a number of species of Podo- 

 carims and Bdcrydium "collected in New Zealand and Australia. In many species 

 the reproductive cycle is limited to one season. The two male cells differ in that 

 one is surrounded by a layer of cytoplasm while the other is a naked nucleus. 

 At the time of fertilization the male nucleus is only about half the size of the 

 female with which it fuses. After the first mitosis of the fertilization nucleus 

 the two resulting nuclei usually drop down to the bottom of the archegonium 

 and there divide into 16. Walls are then formed, giving a pro-embryo of three 

 tiers of cells: (l) a terminal binucleate embryo cell, (2) suspensor tier, (3) ro- 

 sette tier. In one group {Starchycarpus) there are f our tiers : ( 1 ) a Single ter- 

 minal protective cell which is often sloughed off, (2) 8 — 40 cells to form the 

 embryo, (3) suspensor, (4) rosette. The endosperm cells become multi-nucleate 

 about the time of fertilization. In JDacrydium the embryo usually buds or divides 

 at an early stage. — As regards relationships, the writer concludes that the 

 Podocarpineae have been derived from (hypothetical) ancient Abietineae some- 

 what resembling PodocarjMs, though there is no obvious reason why the order 

 should not be reversed, and the Abietineae derived from the Podocarpineae which 

 appear to be geologically the older group. It is suggested, however, that the 

 Taxineae may have been derived from Podocarp ancestors. Gates (London). 



1153) Walker, N. (Leeds, University), On abnormal cell-fusion in the 

 archegonium, and on spermatogenesis in Polytrichum. In: Annais of 

 Botany, Bd. 27, Heft 1, S. 115 — 132, PI. 13—14, 1913. 



This paper supplies an account of spermatogenesis in the moss Polytrichum, 

 and corrects a number of the Statements made by J. and W. van Leeuwen- 

 Reijnvaan, errors which were chiefly due to their methods of faxation. In the 

 spermatogenous cells most of the chromatin is accumulated in a large nucleolus- 



