23Ó 



itself to it by means of a ring of fine hairs. Not until later do the 

 cotyledons appear. 



The germination of Lornnthuti sulnmibeJIntus (?) quite agrees with 

 this. In this species also the cotyledons become the first leaves of 

 the young plant. In the other species of Lornntlius which we inves- 

 tigated this is no longer the case. In tliese tiie cotyledons (except 

 their liases) remain completely concealed in (he endosperm, and 

 serve to carry the food hence to the hypocotyl and do not later 

 function as leaves of the plant. 



In Loranthus spec. iV°. 6, clirysanthus, fuscus(^) and fnsciculntnn 

 the hypocotyl is still placed completely within the testa. On germin- 

 ation it becomes visible and grows along the testa towards the 

 bark of the host. The embryo now pushes itself so far out of the 

 seed that the bases of the cotyledons appear and the terminal bud 

 is able to grow out. 



In Lorantlius pentaiidriDi and jtraelongiis the ape.\ of the hypocotyl 

 is in the first place already outside the testa and in the second 

 place the apex is swollen into a knob. Here there is no question 

 of a curvature of the hypocotyl, as in all the other species. The 

 knob grows, at the side which is turned to the host, towards the 

 latter's bark. The hypocotyl in the seed is further so short that 

 the bases of the cotyledons almost at once come to lie outside the 

 seed. So far as germination is concerned this species of Loranthus 

 may be considered the most specialised. The germination is here the 

 most rapid and the seedlings are the earliest to reach their host. 



The germination of an American Loranthacea i. e. Phoradendron 

 jiavescens Nutt. has been investigated by York '), who fonnd that 

 in this species germination takes place in the same way as in 

 Lorantlius spec. 6 investigated by us. But the cotyledons remain 

 functional much longer. First tiie embryonic root is formed; the 

 endosperm often remains united to the cotyledons for more than a 

 year. Generally these shrivel up and disappear. Rarely the stem 

 develops from the terminal bud between the cotyledons. Usually the 

 shoots arise from adventitious buds, which develop on the terminal 

 disc of the hypocotyl by means of which the latter is united to 

 the host. 



Semarang, Java. 



1) loc. cit. p. 8. 



