216 



MORPHOLOGY OF ANGIOSPERMS 



of polyembryony, therefore, one of the embryos is to be regard- 

 ed as normal, and the others as secondary or adventitious. Ex- 

 actly the same thing sometimes occurs in Limnocharis cmanji- 

 nata, one of the Alismaceae, as observed by Hall s2 (Fig. 101). 

 In this species the basal suspensor-cell may 

 increase very much in size and remain un- 

 divided, as is most common in the Alisma 

 type; or it may divide extensively, forming 

 a massive tissue from which several embryos 

 bud. It was not observed whether more 

 Fig. 102.— Mimosa Den- than one embryo matures, but presumably 

 huriii. Three embryos not. This case is interesting not only on 

 occupying position of a( , cmmt f tne po lyembryony. but also be- 



egg-apparatus ; x 884. . ..,',.', , 



—After Gdionard." cause it emphasizes the relation between the 

 Alisma and Lilium types of embryogeny. 

 Illustrations of ordinary apogamy are relatively numerous, 

 apparently every cell within the embryo-sac being able under 

 certain conditions to produce an embryo. In some cases a 

 synergid is fertilized, and then the resulting embryo should 

 probably be regarded as normal; it certainly is not apogamous. 

 For example, Schwere 40 discovered 

 synergid fertilization in Taraxacum 

 officinale; and Guignard 68 has ob- 

 served that in Naias major the per- 

 sistent synergid instead of the pri- 

 mary endosperm nucleus may lie fer- 

 tilized by the second male nucleus, 

 resulting in two embryos lying side 

 by side 1 (Fig. 103). An embryo from 

 a synergid in addition to a normal 

 embryo from the egg has been re- 

 ported by several observers. In Mi- 

 mosa DenhartiiQwignard 2I has found 

 cases which suggest the development 

 nf embryos from all three cells of the 

 egg-apparatus. Sometimes two simi- 

 lar embryos appear, <mu in the position of the egg and the 

 other in that of ■fcfrvnorgid ; sometimes a group occurred con- 

 sisting of one linHianged synergid, one embryo in the egg 

 position, and a second embryo in the position of the second 



Fig. 103.— Xaias major. Two 

 embryos, one from fertilized 

 egg, the other from fertilized 

 synergid, a male nucleus hav- 

 ing fused with nucleus of 

 synergid instead of polar nu- 

 cleus; e, endosperm nucleus; 

 x 176.— After Guignakd." 



