96 STEIL: SOME NEW CASES OF APOGAMY IN FERNS 
APOGAMY IN PELLAEA AND NOTHOLAENA 
The first case of apogamy in the genus Pellaea was discovered 
by Goebel (1905) in P. nivea (Poir.) Prantl. Later Woronin 
(1907, 1908) found apogamy in P. flavens (Sw.) C. Chr., and P.— 
tenera (Gill.) Prantl., and also in Notholaena Eckloniana Kunze 
and N. sinuata (Lag.) Kaulf., belonging to a genus closely related 
to Pellaea. Berggren (1888), however, had already described 
- apogamy in JN. distans R. Br. The writer has described apogamy 
in Pellaea atropurpurea (L.) Link (Steil, 1910) and P. adiantoides 
J.Sm. (Steil, 1915). New cases have since been found in P. atro- 
purpurea var. cristata Trelease and P. viridis (Forksk.) Prantl. 
APOGAMY IN PTERIS 
Farlow (1874) discovered apogamy in P. cretica L. var. albo- 
lineata Hort. This was the first reported case in plants. Up to 
the present time, no other case of apogamy has been reported in 
any other species of Péeris, although Stephens and Sykes (1910) 
assumed that apogamy occurred in Pteris Droogmantiana L. 
Linden, on account of the presence of binucleate cells in the pro- 
thallia. 
Wigand (1849) appeared to be convinced that the fern embryo 
did not owe its origin to fertilization. He undoubtedly described 
apogamous embryos, and from his descriptions and figures it is 
probable that he studied the development of such embryos in 
some species of Pteris. Although Wigand gives a good descrip- 
tion of an apogamous embryo, the true nature of apogamy was 
first recognized by Farlow. 
Tracheids were observed in the prothallium of P. sulcata 
Meyen by Leszezyc Suminski (1848). Later Mercklin (1850) 
confirmed the observation. Neither, however, knew the signifi- 
cance of the presence of such sporophytic tissue elements in the 
cells of the gametophyte. DeBary (1878) grew the prothallia of 
P. quadriaurita Retz. var. argyraea Moore but failed to find the 
fern apogamous. 
Several years ago, without a knowledge of the observations of - 
these investigators, the writer discovered apogamy in P. sulcata. 
Spores were obtained from the New York Botanical Garden, and 
