The Structure and Development of the 
young plants in Oedogonium 1 . 
BY 
F. E. FRITSCH, B.Sc., Ph.D. 
With three Figures in the Text. 
LTHOUGH the young plants of Oedogonium have not 
infrequently been figured 2 in various species, not many 
observations on their structure and mode of development have 
been published 3 . I propose therefore in the present paper 
to discuss the structure of the young plants in five species of 
Oedogonium 4 , obtained from different parts of the Royal 
Botanic Gardens at Kew. 
On the other hand, the formation of the zoospores in this 
genus has already formed the subject of much investigation. 
The curious details of their liberation were first clearly de- 
scribed by Braun (’ 49 , pp. 150 and 173) and Pringsheim 
(’ 58 , pp. 25-29). The observations of these two investigators 
were so reliable, that later botanists have been able to add 
little thereto, and chiefly occupied themselves with theories 
regarding the derivation of the thin membrane, which is 
formed round the emerging zoospore, and within which the 
latter remains for a short time, when fully liberated from the 
zoosporangium, until the dissolution of this membrane enables 
1 From the Jodrell Laboratory, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 
2 Cf. Kiitzing, ’43, Tab. io and 1 2 ; Thuret, ’50, PI. XIX, Figs. 8 and 9 ; Wolle,’87, 
PI. LXX1II, Figs. 24-30 ; PI. LXXIV, Figs. 12 and 13 ; PI. LXXXI, Figs. 4 and 
5 ; Borge, ’94, Figs. 66 and 67 ( Oed . diplandrum , Jur.). 
3 See Pringsheim, ’54, p. 70, foot-note ; Poulsen, ’79 ; Wille, ’87 ; Fritsch, ’02. 
4 Namely, Oed. capillare , Ktz., cardiacum (Hass.), Wittr., stagnate , Ktz., 
cakareum , Cleve, and in an undetermined species from the river Severn. 
[Annals of Botany, Vol. XVI. No LXIII. September, 1902.] 
K k 
