— 6 — 



without the Intervention of any protonema. Schuhe l records 

 the production of bulbils by the stem of Hypnum aduncum, 

 which detach themselves and grow in a similar way. The 

 brood-bodies of Aulacomnium and ofTetraphis pellucida also 

 originate from the stem. Mention should also be made here 

 of the work of Müller Turgau 2 on the production of "Zweig- 

 vorkeime". 



Not only the gametophyte but also various parts of the 

 sporophyte are able to produce protonema. This has been 

 observed by Stahl 3 from the capsules and setae of Ceratodon 

 purpureum, and by Pringsheim 4 for Hypnum serpens and 

 cupressiforme, and Bryum caespitosum, all in artificial cul- 

 tures, and by Brizi, 5 in nature for Funaria hygrometrica. 

 According to Brizi, some of the setae of Funaria which had 

 come into contract with the earth produced an abundant 

 growth of protonema with numerous buds. 



3. METHOD. 



In course of the experiments described below three dif- 

 ferent methods were used. The leaves and stems to be used 

 as cultures were carefully washed in sterilized water in order 

 torender them as free as possible from bacteria and fungi, and 

 then placed either in Petri-dishes upon several thicknesses 

 of filter paper which had been saturated with a nutritive So- 

 lution, or upon pieces of flower pots placed in crystalizing 

 dishes. In the third method the leaves were placed upon 

 soil in either Petri or crystalizing dishes. The filter paper 

 was carefully sterilized in boiling water and then placed in 

 the Petri-dishes which had been previously sterilized in the 

 dry-oven. The pieces of flower pot weres first boiled and then 

 sterilized together with the crystalizing dishes in the dry-oven. 



1 Bot. Centralblatt 31 : 382—384. 1887. 



2 Arb. d. Bot. Inst. Würzb. 1 : 475—499. 1874. 



3 Bot. Zeitung 34 : 690. 1876. 



4 Jahrb. f. wiss. Bot. 11 : 1—46. 



5 Annuar Instituo botan. Roma 5 : 53 — 57. 1892. 



