FUNARIA HYGROMETRICA (l.) SCHREB. 
393 
Observations 
Germination of Spores and Development of Protonemata 
The spores of Funaria hygrometrica germinate readily in distilled water, 
tap water, and Marchal's solution, or on Sphagnum soaked with any one 
of the three liquids. The cultures must be kept in bright or diffuse light. 
Room temperature (i8° to 21° C.) has been found to be favorable for their 
germination and growth. 
The evidences of the germination of spores are: first, the swelling due to 
the absorption of water; second, the increase in amount of chlorophyl; and 
third, the change in the shape of the spores. This change in shape consists 
in the pushing out of a papillate protrusiop from one side of the spore 
(fig. i). The exospore ruptures at the apex of this projection, and the 
protrusion 'develops into a protonema (fig. 2). 
When the protonema has become seven or eight times as long as wide^ 
the first cross wall is formed (fig. 3a). The terminal cell increases in length 
and a second septum appears in it. This procedure continues as the pro- 
tonema increases in length. Lateral branches may arise from the primary 
filament while the latter is still very short (fig. 4a), or it may remain un- 
branched for some time (fig. 4c). In every instance a branch originates 
just behind a septum (fig. 4^), and the subsequent development of the branch 
continues in essentially the same manner as that of the primary protonema. 
The length of time required for the germination of spores is somewhat 
variable. When spores are sown on unsterilized Marchal's solution, 
germination may take place within twenty-four hours; on the other hand,, 
spores sown on the same medium, sterilized, show no evidence of germination 
in less than about thirty-six hours. In other media the time required for 
germination varies from three days to one week. In general, spores sown 
on Marchal's solution germinate more promptly than on the other culture 
media; but even when sown on the same medium, some cultures require 
more time for germination than others. Each sowing was made from the 
spores of a single capsule. 
Lesage (191 8) finds that the difference in the time required for the ger- 
mination of moss spores of several species, including Funaria hygrometrica^ 
may be attributed to differences in temperature. He finds the optimum 
temperature for germination to be from 20° to 22° C. At this temperature 
the spores germinate in thirty-four hours. Schimper (1848) and other 
writers have noted the period of germination as being from three to five 
days. 
In cultures which I kept in a dark room, no germination could be de- 
tected after a period of four weeks. These cultures were then removed 
from the dark room and placed before a north window, a situation which 
had been found favorable for germination. When examined later, these 
cultures showed that a large number of the spores of each culture had 
