74 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [JANUARY 
Notes FOR STUDENTS. 
Dr. Liugi BUSCAGLIONI suggests the use of “Sudan III”’ in botanical 
microtechnique. It stains wax, cutin, and suberin intensely red, while cellu- 
lose membranes, collenchyma, gelatinous and lignified membranes remain 
uncolored. Of the cell contents the nucleus, nucleoli, protoplasm, starch 
grains and tannins remain unstained ; while fats, resins, and latex stain bright 
red, and the chloroplasts pale red.—C. R. B 
BRONISLAW DEBSKI3 finds that during oogenesis in Chara there is no 
reduction in the number of chromosomes. After the breaking down of the 
nuclear membrane, but before the formation of the spindle, protoplasmic 
radiations may be seen around the nuclear cavity. Spindle development was 
not followed in detail, but Debski is inclined to think that it is at first multipolar. 
The cell plate arises from thickenings of the connecting fibers. In the 
nuclei of nearly all mature cells changes occur in the nucleoli and nuclear 
network. These changes lead to fragmentation of the nucleus and such cells 
are no longer capable of division. The cell wall in Characez shows no cellu- 
lose reaction with chlor-iodide of zinc or with iodine and sulfuric acid. ‘ 
In a previous article Debski showed that no reduction in the number of 
chromosomes takes place during spermatogenesis in Chara.— CHARLES J. 
CHAMBERLAIN, 
PARTHENOGENESIS in plants is, to say the least, a very rare phenomeno 
Chara crinita, species of Saprolegnia, and perhaps Marsilea Drummondit i 
nishing the only fairly proven cases among cryptograms. In Calebogyne tlic 
Jolia, formerly believed to be parthenogenetic, it is now known that the F 
embryos developed from nucellar tissues and not from an unfertilized eg8- tf 
Kerner assumed parthenogenesis in Antennaria alpina because pistillate 
plants developed seed when no staminate plants were in the vicinity. a3 
tissue. The polar nuclei do not fuse, but each divides independently 4 
contributes to the endosperm, so that, like the egg, they are capable of di 
sion without a previous fusion. This seems to be a perfectly prover hee 
parthenogenesis. — CHAS. J. CHAMBERLAIN. 
3 Weitere Beobachtungen an Chara fragilis. Jahrb. f. wiss. Bot. 32: 636-679 
1E-Fe.. 3808, 
* Bot. Centralbl. 74 : 369-372. 1808. 
