208 NITELLA. LESS. 



ment (seg) consisting of a proximal internode (int. nd) and distal node 

 (nd] : the leaves (/) arranged in whorls and ending in leaflets (/') : the 

 rhizoids (rh] : and two branches (br), each springing from the axil of a 

 leaf and ending, like the main stem, in a terminal bud (term. bud). 



B, distal end of a shoot with gonads attached to the leaves : ovy, the 

 ovaries ; spy, the spermaries. 



C, distal end of a rhizoid. 



D, distal end of a leaf (/) with two leaflets (/ ), showing the chroma- 

 tophores and the while line. The arrows indicate the direction of rota- 

 tion of the protoplasm. 



E, distal end of a leaflet, showing the general structure of a typical 

 cell of Nitella in optical section : c. w, the cell-wall ; plsrn^, the quies- 

 cent outer layer of protoplasm containing chromatophores (chr) ; plsm*, 

 the inner layer, rotating in the direction indicated by the arrows, and 

 containing nuclei (nu) ; vac, the large vacuole. 



F, terminal bud, partly dissected, showing the nodes (nd), internodes 

 (int. nd), and leaf-whorls (/), numbered from I to 4, starting from the 

 proximal end ; gr. pt, growing point. 



G, distal end of a leaf (/) with two leaflets (/' ), at the base of which 

 are attached a spermary (spy) and two ovaries (ovy). 



free. Springing from it at intervals are circlets or whorls of 

 delicate, pointed leaves (/). 



Owing to the regular arrangement of the leaves the stem 

 is divisible into successive sections or segments (seg) y each 

 consisting of a very short distal division or node (nd) from 

 which the leaves spring, and of an elongated proximal 

 division or internode (int. nd\ which bears no leaves. 



Throughout the greater part of the stem the whorls ot 

 leaves are disposed at approximately equal distances from 

 one another, so that the internodes are of equal length, but 

 towards the distal end the internodes become rapidly shorter 

 and the whorls consequently closer together, until, at the 

 actual distal end, a whorl is found the leaves of which, in- 

 stead of spreading outwards like the rest, are curled upwards 

 so that their points are in contact. In this way is formed 

 the terminal bud (term. bud\ by which the uninjured stem 

 is always terminated distally. 



The angle between the stem and a leaf, above (distad of) 

 the attachment of the latter, is called the axil of the leaf. 



