449 
angia in July to November; as late as December sporangia, 
partly emptied, were met with. The principal season for 
the production of ripe spores is August to September. 
The spores are able to germinate immediately after 
dissemination. I have not myself observed the germination, 
but Mr. BoyE PETERSEN has kindly at my request sowed 
carpospores in vessels with sea-water and brought me 
slides with the sporelings raised in the cultures. After 
one day the globular spore-cell showed a feeble proeminence, 
the first step of the arising rhizoid. The following day 
an elongated rhizoid-cell was formed and the still glob- 
ular spore-cell was divided by parallel walls perpendic- 
ular to the direction of the rhizoid. The sixth day a 
number of (5—9) segments were formed, the upper end of 
the lengthened sporeling had taken a shape reminding one 
of that of the full-grown plants, but lateral organs had not 
Fig. 409. 
Brongniartella byssoides. Spore- 
lings, 6 days old. 200: 1. 
yet appeared. Most of the segments had formed pericentral cells, but the division 
of the first segments was somewhat irregular and the number of pericentral cells 
Fig. 410. 
Plants gathered January 3rd. 
Brongniartella byssoides. A 200:1. B 95:1. 
could not be deter- 
mined with certainty 
(fig. 409). As the cul- 
tures had to be discon- 
tinued after 6 days, the 
further development is 
unknown, but itis pro- 
bable that the spore- 
lings produce early 
creeping filaments. 
Young sporelings were 
not met with in Na- 
ture, but in winter and 
spring I found only 
creeping filaments giv- 
ing off short erect 
shoots (fig. 410). It has 
to be decided whether 
these creeping fila- 
ments originate from 
sporelings produced the last year or from older plants, or from both. In the first case the 
species would be annual like our winter-crops, in the second case it would be perennial. 
Brongniartella byssoides develops later as the species of Polysiphonia. In April 
the erect shoots are only 1 cm high, in May 1—3 cm, in June it is in active growth 
