26 
FRED. ELFVING. 
which it was taken in the like case of Narcissus poeticus 
by Strashurger. Osmic acid dissolves the yellow bodies, 
but brings out the nucleus clearly in the midst (figs. 18, 
18o). The nucleus of the larger cell undergoes consider- 
able changes, whereby the greatest part of its substance 
becomes -dissolved, so that finally only a small, irregularly 
shaped, often whipcord* like remainder of it can be made 
out (figs. 16, 17). ^ 
Ornithogalum Ecklonii corresponds with the preceding. 
The Pollen-bodies in both species produced no tubes in the 
various solutions I used. There were no traces of nuclei to 
be seen in the tubes of 0. Ecklonii, which I prepared from 
the styles, and which could be followed throughout their 
whole length ; the ends of the tubes were thickly filled with 
fine granular protoplasm, and were cut oif from the empty 
upper part and from the nucleus by the usual cellulose 
plugs. 
Leucojum (Bstivum is a very favorable subject for exami- 
nation, where the whole course of development, almost with- 
out using re-agents, can be pursued. The formation of the 
vegetative cell takes place in tolerably old buds. It 
is marked off by a thick arched-in wall of cortical plasm. 
The contents appears almost homogeneous (fig. 19) ; 
the addition of osmic acid causes, however, the nucleus, 
which possesses no nuclear body, to appear very distinctly 
(fig. 20). The question whether the vegetative cell is formed 
in a particular part of the Pollen-body I must leave un- 
answered, as I did not direct my attention to that point in 
examining it. Neither does my drawing allow me to come 
to any definite conclusion. The nucleus of the large cell is 
provided with distinct nucleoli. 
The vegetative cell now loosens itself from the intine ; at 
first spherical (fig. 21), it soon assumes the shape depicted 
in figs. 22 and 23. The largest part of the cell is occu- 
pied by the now elliptic nucleus, which appears pellucid 
in the fresh Pollen-bodies, while the protoplasm, permeated 
by dark-coloured granules, is pushed away almost entirely 
into the ends, which are bent in like horns. Fig. 23 shows 
such a vegetative cell after treatment with osmic acid. 
Fig. 24 shows the two nuclei crushed out and treated with 
osmic acid and carmine. 
Shortly before the period of fertilisation, the wall of the 
vegetative cell is absorbed, and at the same time the nucleo- 
lus of the larger cell disappears, so that the two nuclei are 
hardly to be distinguished. 
Pollen-tubes are to be obtained easily by cultivation (3 to 
