RECENT STUDIES OF PHAEOPHYCEAE AND THEIR 
BEARING ON CLASSIFICATION 
Wma. RANDOLPH TAYLOR 
Introduction 
During the past decade there has been so fundamental an 
advance in our knowledge of the reproductive processes and life _ 
history of the Phaeophyceae, that it seems to exceed in importance 
the change in viewpoint regarding any other group of plants during 
the same period. The work which must so largely overturn our 
ideas has mainly been done by European algologists, and has not 
been followed up in this country by any confirmatory studies; 
indeed, it seems to be little known. As each succeeding paper, and 
several from independent sources have now appeared, confirms the 
critical points of the others, it seems desirable at this time to review 
the situation and to indicate the necessary changes in the classifica- 
tion of the group. To date the only review in English of the studies 
in question is a short one by Lewis (11), written at an early stage. 
Three have appeared in France, one by CoNsTANTIN (x), and two 
by PecHouTrE (16, 17), these latter of special value. 
Historical 
The pioneer in this field, to whom falls the honor of making the 
first clear advance, is SAUVAGEAU. Previous to the appearance of 
the standard texts, he, with other workers, had cleared up the 
normal life history of Cuileria, showing the relation of Aglaozonia 
as the sporophyte stage, and showing the variations in the life his- 
tory (parthenogenesis, etc.) which appeared under various conditions 
(18, 19, 22, 23, 24). Further, his studies on members of the 
Sphacelariaceae and Ectocarpaceae have done much to help in the 
understanding of those families (20, 21, 33). Most important in 
the present connection, however, are his results from cultures of 
Laminariaceae (25-30, 32). In 1910 Drew (2) described the 
products of the unilocular sporangia on the surface of the Laminaria 
431] [Botanical Gazette, vol. 74 
