562 



MARS1LEACE/B. 



Martius* calls the capsules indusia, the inclifinite mass 

 containing secondary capsules he doubtfully considers sporan- 

 gia ; the others he calls sporangia, their contents a germinat- 

 ing gongylus. (This gongylus Martius states to be the seed 

 of Schreber, which I have rather considered to be the second- 

 ary capsule. This appears to me indicated by^ the statement, 

 of the pericarpium being absent.) The part to which the se- 

 condary capsules are attached he calls columnula. He notices 

 the articulated granule- containing filaments found among the 

 radicles, which he described as spongioliform. 



Endlicher'sf character is much the same as that of Mar- 

 tius, but without as much reservation regarding the nature of 

 the organs. The contents of the larger sac containing se- 

 condary capsules, which he considers the females, is stated to 

 be a solid spore ; of the others, (doubtful males,) a mucila- 

 ginous matter. In a note he inclines to regard these as abor- 

 tive sporangia. 



These are all the accounts which I have been able to 

 consult. It appears to me singular, that the dissimilarity of 

 the organs so specially noticed by Schreber, should have been 

 overlooked by subsequent authors, prior to the appearance of 

 Martius's beautiful works. It is, moreover, adverted to 

 by Mr. Brown,]: who also notices the analogy between the 

 seeds of Guettard and Schreber, (the sac-containing second- 

 ary capsules,) and the supposed male organs of Azolla. This 

 analogy is reversed by Martius and Endlicher. 



The germination of these sac-containing secondary capsules 

 has been observed by M. Vaucher§ and from Endlicher's|| 

 remarks it would appear to have been also observed by 



* PI. Crypt Bras. p. 128, t. 76, 75. f. 2. 



t Gen. PI. p. 67, No. 689. 



% Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holl. ed. 2. p. 23 in. obs. 



§ Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat. 18, d. 404, t. 21, No. 1. 



II Gen. PI. loc. cit. 



