104 Tuompson: THE MORPHOLOGY OF TAENIOMA 
mature cystocarps to make sectioning by microtome possible. 
The young material was not satisfactory. No procarps were dis- 
tinguishable as such, although in several instances there appeared 
to be distortions of normal cells, forming slight protuberances, 
looking like small malformed branches in some cases. Here indi- 
cations were found of a row of three small cells which led me to 
consider the possibility of these being unfertilized and disorganized 
procarps. Inno case wasatrichogyne found. The young stages 
of the cystocarp, when crushed, lost all cell connections, so that 
no details of their interior structure could be seen. The mature 
cystocarp from its position is a modified branch, and is situated 
directly on an axis, not ona flattened branch (Fic. 20). It isa prom- 
inent flask-shaped, sessile body, resembling that of Dasya, with a 
large rounded base containing the carpospores, and a long narrow 
neck which opens at the tip by a distinct carpostome. (The cysto- 
carp pictured is not fully mature, hence the neck is shorter than 
normal.) The outer covering of cells appears to be continuous 
with the pericentral cells, and thus probably developed from them. 
The wall cells are irregularly angular and one layer in thickness. 
By crushing the material and noting the position of parts, the cysto- 
carp appears to correspond in many details with those of the Rho- 
domelaceae, especially with those of Dasya and Chondria, as 
described by Phillips ('96). The paranematal filaments which he 
mentions in all these forms are here very apparent; they consist of 
about 12 chains of cells springing from the base of the cystocarp ; 
but their origin could not be distinguished. These filaments extend 
to the carpostome. They are narrow and distinct, and do not form 
in any sense an inner lining to the cystocarp. Also, on crushing, 
the following structures appeared to constitute the inner apparatus of 
one cystocarp, which structures were later confirmed by those from 
a second (Fic. 21). In both cases a comparatively large central 
cell bore at its apex, by deep pit connections, four large rounded 
cells. From these proceeded long branching filaments, the spo- 
rogenous filaments, on whose tips were borne the large ellipsoidal 
carpospores. At the base of this central cell was attached a single 
cell, in the first case examined, and three cells in the second case. 
Since the central cell was larger in the first, it might be suggested 
that the cystocarp was older and that a process of absorption of 
the surrounding cells by the central cell (an auxiliary cell ?) was 
