Hematochrome Accumulation in an Alga — King 
207 
TABLE 3 
Algal Masses With Orange or Green Pigment 
Predominant, Incubated on Media Containing 
Three Dilutions of Colchicine under 
Continuous Light Produced by 
Fluorescent Daylight Bulbs 
MEDIUM 
COLOR AT 
TIME OF 
INOCULATION 
COLOR OF NEW 
FILAMENTS 
Days 
inocu 
after 
lation 
1 
4 
8 
16 
24 
Basic 
Green 
G 
G 
G 
G 
Orange 
O 
O 
OG 
OG 
Basic plus colchi- 
cine 0.01 per cent 
Green 
G 
OG 
OG 
O 
Orange 
O 
O 
O 
O 
Basic plus colchi- 
cine 0.05 per cent 
Green 
G 
OG 
O 
O 
Orange 
O 
O 
O 
O 
Basic plus colchi- 
cine 0.1 per cent 
Green 
G 
OG 
O 
O 
Orange 
O 
O 
O 
O 
hematochrome accumulation in cells grown 
under natural daylight. The filaments growing 
on control media did not show a change in 
color under continuous light produced by 
fluorescent daylight bulbs or natural daylight. 
Since colchicine was shown to have a def- 
inite effect upon the growth rate and hema- 
tochrome accumulation in Phycopeltis, experi- 
ments were conducted using dilutions of this 
chemical. Algal masses showing the predom- 
inance of green or orange pigment were grown 
on media containing three dilutions of col- 
chicine, as shown in Table 3. The cultures 
were grown under continuous light produced 
by fluorescent daylight bulbs and examined 
each day in order to determine any change in 
color. Observations, however, were recorded 
at the day intervals shown in Table 3. Four 
cultures from each class were used in the ex- 
periment. 
After 24 days of incubation, the orange 
pigment was predominant in all the algal 
masses except those grown on the basic me- 
dium; however, the change from green to 
orange required less time when grown upon 
a medium containing 0.05 per cent or 0.1 per 
cent colchicine. In the controls (on the basic 
medium) containing a predominance of green 
pigment at the time of inoculation, there was 
no change in color, but those controls with 
a predominance of orange pigment at the time 
of inoculation showed green pigment mixed 
with orange. 
SUMMARY 
A new species of Phycopeltis, P. hawaiiensis, 
has been discovered growing as an epiphyte 
on leaves of a tree found on the campus of 
the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii. 
Phycopeltis discs taken from leaves were cul- 
tured on several media. Those grown on a 
medium containing Knop’s nutrient solution 
in 2 per cent agar produced the most rapid 
growth. The addition of organic substances 
such as sucrose or juice from the leaves upon 
which the epiphyte was growing reduced the 
growth rate during that period immediately 
following inoculation. After 80 days, how- 
ever, all cultures were growing at approx- 
imately the same rate, except one. This 
suggests that the medium containing Knop’s 
nutrient solution in 2 per cent agar more 
closely duplicated the natural nutritional re- 
quirements; therefore, little adjustment was 
necessary. On the other hand, the media con- 
taining additional organic substances did not 
duplicate the natural nutritional requirements 
as closely; therefore, an adjustment period 
was necessary. This brought about a delay in 
the initial growth. As a rule, pigmented algae 
growing on agar medium do not need addi- 
tional organic compounds. There also seems 
to be a limit to how much a medium can be 
enriched with organic compounds and, at the 
same time, produce growth. Media enriched 
with sucrose and juice from the leaves upon 
which Phycopeltis grew produced no growth 
even after 80 days of incubation. 
In all cases except one there was a greater 
accumulation of hematochrome pigment and 
an increase in growth rate when certain 
