— 242 — 



It is most often egg-shaped or nearly globular, but sometimes 

 also pyriform or more irregular. It is fastened to the substratum 

 by means of numerous small rhizoids growing out at the basal end 

 of the plant (fig. 1 b) from the small lentiform cells occurring here 

 in great number. 



The rhizoids are unicellular and end with a small, richly rami- 

 fied, often coral-like disc (fig. 1 c, d). Both the small lentiform cells 

 and the rhizoids are richly provided with stores of food. 



Besides the small lentiform cells, 

 whose diameter is about 250 ß 

 and which are crowded together at 

 the basal end of the plant, we find 

 in the periphery of these crowds 

 some larger lentiform cells. About 

 these Kuckuck I.e. p. 42 writes: 

 "Ausserdem werden freilich nur 

 ganz vereinzelt zwischen den klei- 

 nen auch einige grosse Uhrglas- 

 zellen angelegt, die zu kleinen 

 Tochterblasen auswachsen können. 

 Diese wenig in die Augen fallenden 

 Zweigblasen haben hier die Aufgabe, 

 die Hauptblase auf ihrer Unterlage 

 zu stützen und besser festzulagen". 

 Also in my specimens I have found 

 some few of these cells grown out 

 to small daugther cells which again 

 were provided with a single or a 

 few small lentiform cells with rhi- 

 zoids. How far these cells are able 

 to grow out to large cells like the 

 mother cell I cannot tell; I have 

 not been able to find any fertilized 

 cells and do not know, therefore, 

 how far the mother cells after fertilization die away or not, but 

 most probably this is the case and then the cells in question are 

 perhaps able to grow out to new plants. 



The wall of the cell is very tough and elastic; its surface is 

 evidently striated. It shows in the living plant a very nice phos- 

 phorescence, often preserved also in the dried specimens. 



Fig. 1. Valonia ventricosa J. Ag. 



a , a young plant (50 : 1). b , basal end of 

 an older plant with numerous small lenti- 

 form cells with rhizoids crowded at the 

 base; to the left one and above four large 

 lentiform cells, two of these again with 

 small lentiform cells and rhizoids. c and d, 

 rhizoids growing out from small lentiform 

 cells (60:1). e, chromatophores (300:1). 



