BADHAMIA 



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light. The protoplasm is concentrated and accumulated at 

 certain points where it may be seen to pulsate in a rhythmic 

 manner. The waves of contraction advance and recede, but 

 gradually the advancing movement predominates, and little 

 prominences are formed, the basal part of each contracting to 

 form a stalk consisting of tube of a tough hyaline substance 

 through which the protoplasm continues to flow till all the 

 contents of the neighbouring parts of the Plasmodium become 

 aggregated on its summit in the form of a spherical mass. 

 The outer layer of this mass hardens and thickens to form a 

 wall surrounding the more fluid contents, and part of the 

 calcareous granules which were scattered through the Plas- 

 modium are incorporated into the substance of the wall. The 

 fluid contents become differentiated into two structures. First 

 a part of the protoplasm gives rise to a branching system of 

 flattened threads, spreading like a network from the base of 

 the chamber to its wall. The threads are expanded where 

 they unite together, and contain a number of lime granules 

 evenly distributed through their substance. The whole system 

 of branching threads is called the capillitium, and it is not 

 until it is established that the residual protoplasm and the 

 nuclei contained in it are formed into reproductive bodies or 

 spores. Previous to spore-formation all the nuclei in each 

 chamber divide simultaneously, and the protoplasm breaks up 

 into a number of lobed masses each containing from one to 

 ten nuclei. Eventually these masses are divided into as many 

 corpuscles as there are nuclei. Each corpuscle containing a 

 single nucleus is a spore; it acquires^a cell-wall composed of 

 a substance resembling the cutin of cuticularised vegetable 

 cells, and a,- period of rest ensues. Each globular chamber 

 borne on its stalk is called a sporangium. The sporangia of 

 Badhamia utricularis are ovoid or globular, of a grey or 

 iridescent violet colour, clustered and borne on membranous 

 straw-coloured branching stalks. The capillitium is a network 

 of flat bands, with broad thin expansions at the angles, 

 and lime granules evenly distributed through the strands. 

 The spores themselves are from 9 to 12 //.in diameter, of a 

 bright brown colour. 



After some time the external wall of the sporangium breaks 

 down, and the spores are exposed hanging on the threads of 

 the capillitium. They are gradually scattered and disseminated. 



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