Campbell.—Studies on the Araceae. 
11 
The Antipodal Cells. 
There can usually be detected a group of cells at the base 
of the endosperm, which from their position and general appear¬ 
ance are probably the antipodal cells. Whether there are 
originally three of these, as in other similar cases, remains to 
be seen. In the older stages (Fig. 30), they form, usually, 
a nearly hemispherical mass of cells, with large nuclei, and 
sometimes, at least, with denser contents than the adjacent 
cells of the endosperm. Just how many of these there may 
be was not positively determined, but the number is probably 
not less than a dozen. As a rule this group of cells is situated 
at the original base of the sac, and not in the prolongation. 
Fig. 32 shows a rather remarkable group of cells which was 
observed in one instance occupying the lower extremity of the 
sac. This cell-mass looked almost like an embryo, but was 
probably only an abnormally developed mass of antipodal 
cells. 
In general appearance, this group of antipodal cells is quite 
like that of Lysichiton , which, as the writer 1 showed, possesses 
an increased number of antipodals derived from subsequent 
division of the original three. This mass is also not unlike 
the group of antipodals in Sparganium and many Grasses, and 
adds one more to the increasing number of Angiosperms in 
which the number of antipodals normally exceeds the three 
typical of most forms. 
A number of young embryos were found, but these will be 
considered later on. In a good many cases, although careful 
search was made, no embryo could be discovered, and the same 
thing has been found in species of Anthurium. What the 
meaning of this is, must remain for the present unanswered. 
It is possible that the endosperm is capable of developing 
without fertilization, or it may be that for some reason the 
embryo fails to develop, although fertilization is effected. I 
hope to be able to settle this question later, as I have collected 
Campbell, loc. cit. 
