Chloroplusts of Marty nia Frugans 267 



CHLOROPLASTS OF MARTYNIA FRAGANS. 



F. M. Andrews, Indiana University. 



Martynia shows an interesting arrangement of the chloroplasts in 

 the trichomes on the stems and elsewhere. This arrangement together 

 with the rate of movement of the chloroplasts form the chief points of 

 this paper, which for the plant above mentioned, have not heretofore 

 been determined. Senn^ has studied a large number of other plants 

 as regards their chloroplasts. StahP also has investigated the subject 

 and Noll' has studied the movements of the chloroplasts in Schistostega 

 osDiundacea. 



The trichomes of Martynia vary in length, some being more than 

 two mm. long. Those under consideration terminate in an enlarged 

 end. Viewed collectively they impart to the plant a velvety appearance, 

 and the rather large clear drop of viscous liquid, often seen on their 



Fig. 1. To]i of tiichome of Martynia. 



ends, gives to the plant its clamminess (fig. 1). When magnified only 

 five times and observed laterally the transverse walls of many of the 

 larger trichomes can barely be seen since they consist of a single roll 

 of cells. When magnified five times, the presence of the chlorophyll 

 color may be discerned in the region occupied by the two cells just 

 under the end of the trichome. The microscope shows few chlorophyll 

 granules near the base of the trichome. This is easily observable since 

 the cell walls are thin. The interior of the cell is clear except for the 

 chloroplasts. Protoplasmic movements are visible in various directions 

 as indicated by the arrows in figure 1. The trichomes near the tip of 

 the plant where the light is more favorable possess more chloroplasts. 

 The chief interest centers in the first terminal chlorophyll-bearing 

 cell (fig. 1). Under one set of light conditions the chloroplasts collect 



1 Senn, Gustav. Die Gestalts und Lageveianderung des Pflanzen-Chiomatophoren 

 1908 and literature there quoted. 



- Stahl, E. Botanische Zeitung 1880 Bd. 83. pp. 297, 321, 345, 361, 377, 393, 409. 

 = Noll, F. Arbeiten des Botanischen Instituts in Wiirzburg Bd. 3 pp. 477-488. 



"Proc. 38th Meeting, 1922 (1923)." 



