42 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [JULY 
and can therefore be readily distinguished. The spirem itself 
is composed of comparatively few turns of the rather broad — 
chromatin thread, and is made up of alternate segments of chro- 
matin and linin (fig. 29). The nucleus lies imbedded in the 
cytoplasm, which at this stage completely fills the cell cavity, 
It is now very large, and several times the size of those of the 
adjacent vegetative cells, and from it numerous radiations — 
extend into the surrounding cytoplasm. a 
The nuclei and chromosomes in Canna are so small that lit 
tle could be done toward working out the segmentation of the | 
latter. Some features of the nuclear division, however, may be — 
noted. : : 
All of the nuclei in this plant possess a true nucleolus, as in 
Convallaria, and a very meager linin net-work on which the ; 
small amount of chromatin is unequally distributed. Inthe vege 
tative nuclei at the time of division the chromatin becomes 1 
aggregated into six spherical masses lying just beneath the — 
membrane, and the nucleolus at the same time disappears. The — 
spindle now forms, and the ordinary process of division assures — | 
six daughter chromosomes for each resulting nucleus. This _ | 
count was made many times with great ease, owing to the small | 
number of segments, and always with the same result. : 
segments on their way to the poles ( fig. 30). The four counts 
here made gave in every case the number as six, instead of three 
as one would expect after reduction. The spindles of the 
sections containing these were also obtained (fig. 31). 
were all in the nuclear plate stage, and here the number wa 
actually three ; but each chromosome seemed to be compose 
' of two parts, one of which was located directly above the other 
