221 



from Java for the stud^' of the germination and would shortly 

 publish a paper on the subject. We thereupon abandoned the inves- 

 tigation, but having heard nothing further from Koernickk, we took 

 it up again and were thus able to collect a fairly large quantity 

 of material. 



Some time ago, however, we learned that Koernicke had read a 

 paper on this subject at Vienna, but we did not receive a copy of 

 this, so that we are still in ignorance as to what was dealt with in 

 this paper. For the present we do not intend therefore to give a 

 complete survey of our work. Our results concerning germination 

 form, however, a complete whole and this instalment can probably 

 confirm or extend Kokrnic:kk's jiaper. Later we may have an oppor- 

 tunity of considering some points further. 



A few notes on the germination of these species are given in 

 Goebel's work ') and Wiesnkr ^) also discusses certain points. 



As is known, the fruits or rather pseudocarps of Loranthus are 

 one-seeded. The pericarp is succulent and contains a large amount 

 of sugar. The testa is very thin and is surrounded by a layer of 

 mucilage varying in thickness, which is very sticky in some species, 

 e.g. in Loranthus pentandrus. Within the testa lies the endosperm 

 and in the longitudinal axis of the latter the green embryo is found 

 consisting of a hypocotyl and two small, thin cotyledons. 



We had at our disposal material from Viscum articulatwn L. and 

 V. oriëntale BI., also the following species of Lo;'<7??Mm.9 whose names 

 were determined by the kindness of Dr. J. J. Smith : tirst a species 

 indicated as N°. 5, which is probably identical with L. subumbeUatus Bl., 

 further Loranthus chrt/santhu.s Bl., L. fascicuhitus BL, L. pentandrus L., 

 L. ferrugineus Bl., a species indicated as N°. 6 which resembles 

 L. Schultesii Don. as well as L. ativpitrpitreus Bl., but whose flowers 

 are larger and leaves less hirsute, also N°. 8 which is probably 

 identical with L. fuscus Bl. and finally L. praelongus Bl. 



It is not always easy to collect a suflicient supply- of ripe fruits. 

 Various birds are very fond of them and look for them especially 

 in the early morning. Moreover they eat the seeds before they are 

 quite ripe. We succeeded in getting together a sufficient quantity of 

 fruits either by enclosing the plants or by collecting the fruits of those 

 plants which had been strongly occupied by the great red, vicious 



1) K. GoEBEL, Pflanzenbiologisclie Schildfiiingon. Tell I, 1889, p. 156. 



2) J. WiESNER, Vergleich. physio!. Slutlien iiber die Keimung europaischer und 

 Iropischer Arten von Viscum und Lorantlius, Sitz. Ber. d. Kais Ak. d. Wissensch. 

 Wien, Bd. 103. Abt. I. 1894, p. 403. 



