THE 
NEW PHYTOhOGIST. 
Vol. 2., No. 7. July 29TH, 1903. 
THE PHENOMENON OF “DOUBLE FERTILISATION” 
IN ANGIOSPERMS. 
An Historical Sketch. 
O F all botanical studies none is more important or fascinating 
than those concerned with the process of fertilisation in the 
higher plant and with the events following this within the embryo- 
sac of the devoloping seed. It is to tireless and ingenious investi¬ 
gators like Professor Strasburger of Germany that we owe the 
accumulation of facts with regard to the various phenomena which 
precede the development of the embryo and the endosperm within 
the ovule. 
Yet, notwithstanding all this industry and refinement of method 
in research, one of the most important and remarkable links in the 
complicated processes connected with fertilisation and endosperm- 
formation had been, until quite recently, even by men like 
Strasburger, entirely overlooked. I refer to what is now commonly 
known as the phenomenon of “double fertilisation,” the discovery 
of which did not occur until some five years ago, viz., hy two 
botanists quite independently the one of the other: Nawaschin 1 
in Russia, and Guignard 2 in France. Priority of publication, 
however, fell to the lot of the former. 
The cell which eventually grows into the embryo-sac is the 
homologue of the megaspore of the heterosporous Pteridophytes, and 
is, in most cases, one of the products of division into three or four cells 
of the primary mother-cell in the nucellus. Absorbing, as a rule, its 
sister-cells the incipient embryo-sac developes apace and its nucleus 
1 “ Resultate einer Revision der Befruchtuugsvorgange bei 
Lilium Martagon und Fritillaria tenella.” (Bulletin de 1 ’ 
Acad. Iuiperiale des Sciences, de St. Petersbourg; Vol. ix., 
1898, No. 4). 
2 “ Sur les antherozoides et la double copulation sexuelle 
chez les vegetaux angiospernies.” (Comptes Rendus, 
4 April, 1899 ; Revue geu^rale de botanique, Vol. xi, 1899 ; 
Volume jubilaire de la SociSte de Biologie, Paris, 1899). 
