Cystocarp in Rhodomelaceae (//). 19 1 
filaments derived from the pericentral cell. These filaments 
consist of cells whose walls are thick and transparent, so that 
the core appears as a mass of dense mucilage in which the 
tufts of cells are imbedded. At the same time a pair of cells 
derived from the pericentral cell gives rise to numerous rows 
which radiate so as to line the entire cavity, converging to 
the pore. These are the paranematal filaments of other 
Rhodomelaceae ; but they are here formed relatively much 
earlier in the development of the cystocarp, and play a greater 
part in the formation of the wall. 
When the core of filaments already referred to are examined 
more closely, they are found to originate, as I have said, in 
the pericentral cell, and that at two points only. One tuft 
arises in the inferior position, and branches freely ; the other 
in a lateral position, slightly more luxuriantly branched. 
Judging from the distance of the cystocarp at this stage 
behind the growing apex, where the young procarps protrude 
their trichogynes, an interval of many days (possibly weeks) 
must have elapsed after the fertilization of the trichogynes 
before this stage is reached. I was therefore of opinion that 
these tufts must be sporogenous filaments in a rudimentary 
condition, particularly as no other structures were apparent 
which could be regarded as rudiments of carpospores. How- 
ever, after examining many cystocarps in this condition, two 
considerations induced me to change this view. First, these 
filaments arose, as already mentioned, as two branches, one in 
the inferior position and one in a lateral position. In all 
other Rhodomelaceae two sterile branches arise in these 
situations before the fertilization of the trichogyne. In most 
Rhodomelaceae these consist, one of one cell, another of two 
cells, and even after fertilization their future development is 
limited to the production of three new cells, one from each 
of the three original cells. In Chondria tenuissima these 
branches exist already at the period of fertilization of the 
trichogyne, as Schmitz has shown, as two tufts of branches of 
considerable size. The question arose whether the two branches 
of Dasya , which arose almost entirely after fertilization of 
