Prankerd.—Notes on the Occurrence of Multinucleate Celts. 601 
spermic seedlings 1 are also good, and after these, inflorescence axes, 
petioles, &c. 
The binucleate cells and their nuclei do not generally differ in size, 
shape, &c., from the other cells and nuclei of the tissues in which they occur, 
so that the usual explanation of coenocytic structures (Haberlandt (5)) 
cannot apply here. The question further arises as to the origin and fate of 
Figs. 1-5. Morus nigra. 1. A trinucleate cell. 2. A multinucleate cell showing probable 
longitudinal fission of one of the nuclei. 3. Cell which has just divided, x 400. 4. Nuclei, 
a spindle-shaped, b lobed, c constricted, x 930. 5. Nuclear complex, x 600. 
these additional nuclei, i. e. are they produced amitotically, or by the failure 
of karyokinesis to produce partition walls ? And since cells of older tissues 
are apparently uninucleate, do the extra nuclei abort, does fusion take 
place, or are walls subsequently formed ? 
With reference to the first question, the second suggestion is possibly 
true in certain cases, but in general I think that the multinucleate cells 
of vegetative tissues are produced by amitosis. In the first place, this 
is strongly suggested by the position of the nuclei with regard to each 
other, for they are usually in close contact—a fact difficult to explain 
1 Dr. E. N. Thomas has kindly permitted me to examine a number of her preparations of 
seedling Gymnosperms, but I was not able to satisfy myself in a single instance of a binucleate cell. 
Rl‘2 
