97 
and Affinities of Trapella. 
or third cell of the row developed into the embryo-sac, the 
other daughter-cells being ultimately absorbed. Fischer, who 
investigated several other genera of Rosaceae, failed to find 
this behaviour in any other case. 
In Loranthus sphaerocarpus , from Treub’s 1 account, it 
seems that each embryo-sac mother-cell divides into a row of 
three, of which the top one in each row becomes the embryo- 
sac, increasing in length. The two small cap-cells below 
(anticlines of Treub) disappear, and the narrow embryo-sac 
elongates downwards very much, penetrating with its pointed 
tip the tissues to a considerable depth. Here then is a case 
analogous to that of Trapella. 
In a few plants the antipodal cells at the base of the 
embryo-sac are conspicuously developed. Thus Hofmeister 2 
gives in his figures several cases of this, though usually they are 
hardly commented upon in the text. In Asarum europaeum and 
canadense the embryo-sac is long and narrow, and the three 
antipodals are very long, extending, at fertilization, from one 
third to one half up the embryo-sac. Thus they remain, 
or may divide up forming a small tissue. Jonsson 3 also 
examined this genus, but in his figures the antipodals are 
not proportionally so long as Hofmeister gives them. In 
Crocus vernus the embryo-sac is very broad, and the anti- 
podals, though not relatively very large, form a prominent 
beak at the centre of the base of the embryo-sac. They dis- 
appear later. 
In no case do we meet with a persistent, enlarged cap-cell 
as in Trapella. The antipodals of Asarum , as figured by 
Hofmeister, are the only structures at all recalling it, but 
differ morphologically. In Loranthus sphaerocarpus the lower 
skrift, T. xvi (1880)] it is the second cell of the row of daughter-cells which 
becomes the embryo-sac. I am unable to read this interesting, but somewhat 
inaccessible paper, it being in Swedish. 
1 M. Treub, Obs. sur les Loranthacees, in Annales du Jardin botanique de 
Buitenzorg. T. ii (1881), p. 54. 
2 W. Hofmeister, Neue Beitrage z. Kennt. d. Embryobildung d. Phanerogamen, 
Tab. x. fig 12, in Abh. d. K. S. Ges. d. Wiss. vi. 1859. 
3 loc cit. 7 Tab. viii. fig. 7. 
Ii 
