74 BOTANICAL GAZETTE 7 
i 
axis. In some cases the forward movement was found to be at the rate 0 
o.7™™ per second. MIYAKE agrees with WEBBER that the liquid in the arche 
gonial chamber at the time of fertilization comes from the pollen tube and no 
from the archegonium.—CHarLEs J. CHAMBERLAIN. 
Heterostyly and gynodioecism.—Inheritance of dimorphism has been inves 
tigated by RAuNKIARS7 in Primula, Menyanthes, Pulmonaria, Fagop “um, 
Knautia, and Thymus. In all heterostylic aes studied he finds that 
long-styled and short-styled forms occur in about equal numbers regard 
of the character of the environment. In gynodioecious species, on the 0 
hand, he finds considerable variation in the proportions of the two forms 
different localities. The results of breeding are in close accord with those 
C : 
e 
angiate plants of eae vulgaris produced 65 be cent. pistillate plants 
beckvatetic and dolichostylic x dolichostylic 0 only 4.3 per cent. brachy 
Investigation covering several generations is needed to determine the 
of the pre-parental ancestry, and until this is done, any speculation as t 
hereditary nature of the forms of a dimorphic species can be of little v 
GrorGE H. SHULL. 
Development of spores of Helminthostachys—Brrr3® has _ investi 
the development of the spores of H. zeylanica, his material being fertile 
preserved in spirit. CARprrrF,4° and afterwards STEVENS,‘! had 
of the plasmodium-like tapetal eee in Botrychium; and BEER finds 
same phenomena in Helminthostachys. His observations extend, hov 
to the specific work of the el plasmodium in spore-formation. The ¢ 
served facts are that during the period of exospore growth the tapetal p 
odium shows more or less complete disappearance of starch, gradual 
nution of the finely vacuolar cytoplasm, and richly chromatic nuclei which 
show irregularities of outline. The conclusion is that the tapetal plasmo 
is the center of metabolic activities in which a substance is elaborated from 
raw materials contained in the a igre is employed, directly or indi 
in the growth of the spore wall.—J. M 
37 RAUNKIAR, C., Sur la transmission par hérédité dans les — hét 
phes. Bull. Acad. Roy. Sci. et Let., Denmark, pp. 31-39, 1906. 
38 See Bot. GAZETTE 39: 304. 1905. and 41: 302. 1906. 
39 BEER, RUDOLF, On the development of the spores of Helminthostachys 
Janica. Annals of Botany 20:177-186. pls. II-12. 1906. 
4° Bot, GAZETTE 29: 340-347. pl. 9. 1905. 
4" Annals of Botany 19:—. —. 1905. 
