Fertilization of the Floridez. 13 
even the pit which united the carpogonium-cell with the 
hypogynous cell also continues its function, and places the 
fertilized ovicell in direct connexion with the hypogynous cell, 
and through this with the general cellular tissue of the parent 
plant. Hence the requisite nutritive materials can be trans- 
mitted to the growing ovicell in the simplest and most con- 
venient manner. Nay, this connexion of the fertilized ovicell 
with the tissue of the thallus of the parent plant is so com- 
plete, that this fertilized ovicell easily produces exactly the 
impression of an ordinary thallus-cell, from which, in fact, it 
can sometimes be distinguished almost solely by its perfectly 
peculiar further development (Chantransia corymbifera, Thur., 
figs. 2, 3, 4). 
This further development of the ovicell is, however, very 
different in the individual cases. 
1. Helminthocladice. 
In the simplest case the ovicell pushes forth one after the 
other numerous offshoots, ooblastemas as they may here be 
called (fig. 1), which grow into short-jointed cell-filaments of 
greater or less length, and abundantly subdichotomously 
branched. ‘The number of these ooblastema-filaments is, 
however, very variable; sometimes they are produced in 
great numbers on the whole periphery of the ovicell except 
the basal surface and the vertex (Batrachospermum); sometimes 
their development on the ovicell is only one-sided (Chan- 
transia, figs. 2-4, Scinaza, fig. 7) ; sometimes the ramifica- 
tions of these ooblastema-filaments are perfectly free (Batra- 
chospermum, Chantransia, Helminthocladia, Nemalion, Sci- 
naia), and sometimes they are united by a common gelati- 
nous envelope into a nearly globular closed cell-body (Hel- 
minthora, according to Bornet*). Sometimes also the 
fertilized ovicell first of all arches upwards and cuts off a large 
upper daughter-cell, and the ooblastema-filaments then push 
forth from the whole free surface of this daughter-cell 
(Nemalion multifidum). 
In the genus Lemanea several ooblastema-filaments grow 
forth from the fertilized ovicell at the apex of a carpogonial 
branch, which may be unramified (LZ. fluviatilis and ciliata, 
according to Sirodot’s figures f) or furnished with short lateral 
branches (L. torulosa, and, according to Sirodot’s figures, also 
L. catenata and parvula}), and these filaments growing ob- 
* Thuret-Bornet, ‘ Etudes phycologiques,’ p. 64, 
+ Ann. des Sci. Nat. sér. 5, tome xvi. pl. iii, 
¢ Ibid. pls. iv. and v. 
