Allen—Spermatogenesis and Apogamy in Ferns, 
41 
that it is not necessary for the development of the sporophytic 
characters. 
Two other cases of generative apogamy have been discovered 
in which, as in Aspidium, it is claimed that the haploid chro¬ 
mosome number is continued through the sporophyte. Las- 
tra'ea pseudo-mas var. cristata apospora is reported by Farmer 
and Digby. As previously noted, this form is aposporous as 
well as apogamous. The variety is not known to produce 
spores and no reduction divisions have been discovered. The 
only evidence at present which shows that it is the haploid and 
not the diploid chromosome number that is present, is the size 
of that number. The counts for Lastaea vary between sixty 
and seventy-eight. Another variety of the same species has 
sixty-six as the gametophyte number and double that in the 
sporophyte. Among ferns in general sixty and seventy are 
common gametophyte numbers. Such being the case the pre- 
'iimption is in favor of Farmer’s and Digby’s assumption that 
it is the haploid number which runs through the whole life- 
history. 
The second case in which it is claimed that the reduced chro¬ 
mosome number is maintained unchanged in the development 
of the sporophyte is that of NepJtrodium molle described by 
Yamanonchi. Here there is no question about its being the 
haploid chromosome number, since the species is reported as 
also reproducing normally in which case the haploid number, 
sixty-six, is doubled to one hundred and thirty-two at the origin 
of the sporophyte and reduced to sixty-six once more at spore 
formation. Yo description is given by Yamanonchi of the 
process of spore formation in these apogamously produced sporo- 
phytes. They may possibly resemble Aspidium in showing a 
fusion of spore mother cells. 
The reverse case, in which the gametophyte has the sporo¬ 
phyte number, i. e., somatic apogamy, is reported more com¬ 
monly. Among the instances noted are the macrogameto- 
phytes of Antermaria alpina, Thalictrum purpurascens, Tara¬ 
xacum officinale, Wilcstroemia indica, and several species of 
Eualchimilla and Hieracium among the Phanerogams. In all 
these cases, however, the macrogametophyte is reduced to a few' 
