

6o ' BOTANICAL GAZETTE [jaxuary 



of the crown, they are not confined to this region, but occur in 

 scattered patches within the rim on any part of the depressed region. 

 A sectional view of a typical distribution of archegonia, antheridia, 

 and the fungus region is shown in fig. 14. 



The antheridia vary in size, shape, and output of sperms. They 

 form hemispherical projections, with a nearly spherical mass of 

 sperms; or they project scarcely at all, in which case the mass of 

 sperms is not quite so regular. In a few cases, the sperm mass was 

 elongated, making the topography bear some resemblance to that 

 of an archegonium. In all cases, only one layer of cells separates 

 the sperms from the surface, so that the essential course of develop- 

 ment is uniform. A typical view is shown in fig. 15. 



The foot of the sporophyte is strongly haustorial, and the cells 

 surrounding it have some starch but very little protoplasm or other 

 visible contents; consequently, the food supply must come largely 

 from the fungus region and must be in a liquid condition even at 

 a considerable distance from the foot. This is quite different from 

 the condition in some gymnosperms, where only a single layer of 

 cells may separate the haustorial cells of the embryo from those 

 containing an abundance of food material in solid form. The foot 

 is small and the vascular strand does not extend into it, but extends 

 in an unbroken line from the shoot into the root, which is very late 

 in developing. However, a few elongated cells, which do not 

 become lignified, bend away from the main axis and point toward 

 the foot. 



L. scariosum. — The only description of this species is that given 

 by Holloway (16), who says "the prothallus of L. scariosum was 

 discovered in two localities. Like that of L. volubile, it appears 

 to correspond to the L. clavatum type. It is large, firm, and long- 

 lived, and in every case was found deeply buried (2-6 cm.)." Three 

 specimens of this species were available and all had reached matur- 

 ity, one bearing a young plant 18 mm. long, and the other two 

 showing the foot and base of younger sporophytes which had broken 

 off. Both prothallium and sporeling are larger and coarser than 

 in L. volnbile, as can be seen by comparing figs. 9 and n, which are 

 drawn to the same scale. The prothallium is densely infested by the 

 fungus, which has about the same distribution as in L. volubile. 



