11 



plasts. KOHL in 1902 regarded tlie matter of protoplasmic 

 continuity in the riorideae as still unsettled. KI3;iTITZ- 

 GERLOPF in the sanie year found that the pit is closed by 

 a delicate membrane, and reached the conclusion that an un- 

 broken connection cannot be said v/ith certa.inty to exist 

 in the form studied ( Polys i phonia ) . 



The number of nuclei in a. single vegetative cell is 

 always large. Since the nuclei are a,pproxiiria.tely equidist- 

 tant in each cell below the apex, it is evident that the 

 ni;imber in a cell varies directly witJi tlie size of the cell. 

 Estimates me-de from several prepa,rations show that the 

 lsj:'ge cells neai" the base of the plant conta,in, on an av- 

 erage, 3,000-4,000 nuclei. As the cells become smellier 

 toward the apex of the filajnent, the number of nuclei be- 

 comes correspondingly less. A subterminal cell of average 

 size contains about 100 nuclei; a.n exceptionally large sub- 

 terminal cell may contain a,s me.ny as 500 nuclei. In the 

 newly formed terminal cell the nuiaber is much less, varying 

 from 12 or 15 to 50, or even 75. The terminal cells, how- 

 ever, like the other vegetative cells, are always multi- 

 nucleate. 



The occurrence of multinucleate cells is rather gener- 

 al in the older portions of the thallus of other Florideae, 



