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At one place a sporangium-like form was found, protruding 
from the epidermis. Îts importance seems to be doubtful. 
Another, probably parasitic, fungus was found in B. simplex. 
It was a multicellular, short-celled form, found in one place 
between epidermis and subepidermal layers of a young root. 
Its contents stained light-green with Bismarck brown. This 
fungus is evidently a true parasite, the surrounding tissue being 
disintegrated by its influence. 
IX. Summary and conclusions. 
1. As a result of the investigations undertaken to determine 
the origin and development of the vascular tissues of the young 
gametophyte of Botrychium, it has been shown that there 1s no 
evidence for the presence of cauline stelar tissues. This 1s true 
also for the adult sporophyte of B. silaeifolium. The cauline 
(commisural) strands, found in the Marattiaceae, are quite 
absent in all the species of Botrychium that were examined. 
2. The ‘intra-stelar”” pith proved to originate by inclusion 
of ground tissue between the leaf and root traces. An internal 
endodermis could not be found. 
3. The development of the young plant as well as many other 
peculiarities of the species investigated suggest relationships 
with various other ferns. The relations to Ophioglossum and 
Helmintostachys are apparent. The suspensor and the origin 
of the second root in B. obliquum suggests a relationship to the 
Marattiaceae. Other characters of B. obliquum (position of the 
leaf-initials) point to the subgenus Eubotrychium. B. silaeifolium 
has root characters in common with B. virginianum, while the 
form of the leaf trace suggests Osmundites, Todea, or even 
Loxoma, as described by Gwynne-Vaughan (17). In B. vir- 
ginianum, we find indications of tannin cells, which occur in 
larger numbers in the investigated species of the subgenus 
Eubotrychium. This is, however, not the only point in common 
