44 2 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [December 



Aglaozonia melanoidea is the asexual form of Cutleria ads per sa. The 

 conclusions of these authors were drawn chiefly from a comparison 

 of young forms of Cutleria collected in nature with young plants 

 obtained from cultures, the emphasis being laid upon outer morpho- 

 logical characters. 



It is not necessary to present a detailed historical review of 

 previous work, for many authors, especially Sauvageau (45), 

 have given such reviews. Since 1899 no work based upon original 

 investigation has been published except by Sauvageau and the 

 present author. Papers by Sauvageau (46-51) confirm his work 

 of 1899, and a paper by the author (76) is the preliminary account 

 of the present paper. Before turning to our own investigation, we 

 shall indicate briefly what has been accomplished already, and what 

 still remains to be done. 



The first definite account of the discharge and the culture of 

 spores of Cutleria was made by Thuret (63), who observed that 

 the female gametes germinated parthenogenetically. The male 

 plants of Cutleria he found to be extremely rare at Saint Vaast-la- 

 Hogue, France, where his cultures were made. This partheno- 

 genetic product, a small plant somewhat resembling Ectocarpus, 

 did not live long. According to Sauvageau's suggestions (45) 

 the plant may be designated as form Thuretiana. Five years later 

 the brothers Crouan (7), by repeating these observations at Brest, 

 France, came to the same conclusions. Derbes and Solier (11), 

 working on the Mediterranean coast of France, confirmed Thuret's 

 account. Thus these earlier observers, who worked on the French 

 coast, seem to have entertained no doubt of the constancy of the 

 parthenogenetic germination of the female gametes of Cutleria. 



About two decades later two German botanists, Reinke and 

 Falkenberg, independently making cultures at the Naples 

 Station, reported quite different results. Reinke (38, 39), work- 

 ing at the Station in 187 5-1 876, observed the actual fertilization of 

 the female gametes by the male gametes of both Zanardinia and 

 Cutleria. In vessels containing both male and female gametes 

 germination took place freely. There seemed to be no germination 

 of the unfertilized egg. Reinke concluded that sexual reproduc- 

 tion prevailed in Cutleria multifida and that Thuret must have seen 



