500 MARSILEACEiE. 



becomes mucilaginous, and a central shortly stipitate coria- 

 ceous opaque coat, which encloses grumous fluid and many 

 irregular granules of an amylaceous appearance. The colour 

 of this coriaceous coat is whitish, its stalk being tawny : its 

 opacity is caused by the presence of innumerable granules : 

 no traces of cells are demonstrable by the ordinary means. 



Most of these organs abort, the abortion being confined 

 to the inner envelopes and their contents. The female or- 

 gans are more numerous, and much less liable to abortion. 

 They are generally of a clavate or obovate form. They con- 

 sist of one coat similar in structure to the outer coat of the 

 male organ. This coat is laxly cellular and unprovided with any 

 apparatus for promoting dehiscence. Within this sac are con- 

 tained an independent number of sporules : The sac is whitish, 

 and the cells from which it is formed as in the male, contains 

 greenish granular matter ; the sac subsequently on immersion 

 becomes nearly mucilaginous. It is more or less stalked, 

 whereas the male is as invariably subsessile, it is about J as 

 small-again as this. Neither of these appear to be dehiscent. 



The sporula, at the most mature stage, I have examined 

 them, are of very various sizes ; they are whitish ; the larger 

 being opaque when viewed through transmitted light, they 

 are of a tawny brown colour, the larger appear to be situated 

 next the parietes of the sac, they are round, of considerable 

 size, and consist of two coats, which are not, however separ- 

 able, the inner containing small granules of a subamy- 

 laceous appearance, and is less coloured than the outer. 

 The remainder vary much in form, being either opaqueish and 

 convexo-concave or globular, presenting the appearance of 

 two coats, and towards the centre of ternary, or rarely 

 quaternary division ; these latter I imagine to be always in 

 the centre of each theca, all of these are surrounded by a 

 mucilaginous pellicle when immersed, this pellicle when 

 dry assuming the appearance of an envelope, often with a 

 small stalk. 



The developement of these organs is as follows. 



