certainty, their functions. In one single case Agardh saw,
in a globule which he had kept some time in water, in the
hope of observing its evolution, five or six spherical grains,
which he supposed transformations of the cups. These
may possibly be reproductive, and Wallroth’s observations
would lead us to expect something of the sort.
The species on which my observations were made was
Nitella Jlexilis Engl. Bot. 1070, exactly agreeing with the
figure and description. As Agardh refers this figure to Chara
opaca, it may be well, for the sake of greater precision, to
give a short description made at the time.—Root creeping;
lower whorls sending out small brown fibres from the
swollen knots. Main branches 2—6 together from the
centre of the whorls, pellucid, light green. Whorls distant,
of many threads, each bearing three or four branchlets
with a single globule at their base, which is lateral when
there are three ramuli. The ramuli have a small pellucid
point, but are somewhat obtuse and have no articulations.
In two individuals the whorled threads were very much
subdivided, forming masses as in Chara nidifca : there was
no fructification on these. The globules are not perfectly
globose, but slightly obovate, with a very short pedicel:
beneath the transparent external membrane, the surface is
divided into eight equilateral triangles by one horizontal
and two vertical great circles : in the center of each of
these triangles is a subrotund area, from which lines radiate
regularly so as to form obovate oblong cells,—-the line
which radiates from one triangle running to the centre of
the outer boundary of the corresponding cell in the adjacent
triangle. The globules are filled with a mass of
transparent, colourless, flexuous, confervoid filaments, with
articulations about equal in length and breadth ; and minute
orange globules, whose diameter is less than that of
the filaments, are contained in the radiating cells, which
are raised on the inner side. These globules are immersed
in gelatine, as the green globules of the stem are. In the
centre of each of the spherical triangles into which the
surface is divided, on the under side, arises perpendicularly
an orange cylinder which bears on the top a bellshaped
cup, which is at first orange, being filled with the
same granules as the cells, afterwards pellucid and striate
or plicate at the margin. At the place where the cup is.
attached to its pedestal the confervoid filaments originate,—
and if the cup and pedestal are separated, they are found
to be attached to the base of the cup, not to the top of the
pedestal. I could not ascertain whether all the eight pedestals
are furnished with a cup, or not. It appears to me
that the orange matter contained in the radiating cells
has access, by means of the hollow pedestal and bell, to the
curved filaments. The pedestal is certainly hollow, as,
when dry, the orange mass contracts, exactly as the matter
in the joint of a Conferva.
My figure of the cups does not exactly agree with
Agardh’s; but their shape may vary in different species:—in
point of essential structure they agree. The question now
arises, what relation do the several parts of the globule
bear to the primitive organs of the plant ? Previous to the
solution of this, it should seem necessary to know whether
the rays are subsidiary to the cup, or the cup to the rays.
On the first supposition, it might be conceived that the cup
and pedestal of each triangle represent a branch given off
from the point of attachment of the globule, and torn off
at the mouth of the cup by its development,—and then the
filaments and radiating cells will answer to whorls given
off from this central stem : the eight sets of cells soldered
into one globe; and the central bud of each, become abortive.
And this view will be strengthened if it be found that
there is uniformly a ninth pedestal arising from the point
of attachment of the globule, as represented in Mr.Wilson’s
figure, in which case the eight pedestals might be conceived
to be given off from the apex of this ninth pedestal. And
it is observable that the proper situation of the globule is
central, though by the abortion of some of the filaments it
is in general lateral. In the present species, when there
are four filaments accompanying the globule, it is central;
and so, when there are many filaments, it is represented
in tab. 6,fg . 2, of Wallroth, Ann. Bot. If, however, we
may build upon Agardh’s single observation of the globule
after a time containing five or six spherules, which he conceived
might be gems, as illustrated by that of Wallroth
mentioned above, we must have recourse to the second supposition
:—in that case, we must conceive two sets of four
principal branches to be formed one above the other, each
bearing a whorl at the apex, the branches to be so incurved