SUMMARY
Morphology of the spores, prothalli and juvenile sporophytes of 6 spp. of Blechnum, 4 spp. oi Doodia, 3 spp. of Woodwardia and 2 spp. of Stenochlaena is described. The spores are monolete, bilateral, with tenuimarginate laesura, and ranging in size from 30–35 times 45–55 μ in Doodia to 40–50 times 70–75 μ in Woodwardia. The exine is 2–3 μ thick and smooth, except in Stenochlaena in which it is prominently verrucate to rugulose. All genera, except Stenochlaena, are perinate, the perine being granulose and either loose and wrinkled as in Woodwardia or closely adherent to the exine and devoid of wrinkles as in Doodia.
The spores germinate within 2–3 days of sowing and develop within 3 or 4 days of germination into densely chlorophyllous germ filaments, 3–9 cells long. The rhizoids are light brownish in colour and may include a few scattered plastids. There is some variation in the sequence of cell divisions during the development of a prothallial plate and establishment of a meristem, the same species often exhibiting a fair amount of plasticity in developmental history. The simplest condition is one in which the anterior cells of the germ filament, including the terminal cell, divide longitudinally and an obconical meri‐stematic cell is differentiated by an oblique division in one of the daughter cells of the terminal cell (as in B. gibbum, B. orientate, D. dives and often in D. maxima). The prothallial plate then expands and develops a cordate apex; the meristematic cell is later replaced by a multicellular meristem in the usual way. In most spp. of Blechnum, however, the terminal cell of the germ filament produces an apical hair before dividing longitudinally. Also, a meristematic cell may not be differentiated soon after the first longitudinal division, one of the daughter cells continuing growth of the germ filament. In Woodwardia spp., D. aspera and D. media the terminal cell (sometimes 2 cells at the anterior end) becomes quiescent when the germ filaments are 5–8 cells long. The cell behind i t divides longitudinally and one of the daughter cells develops an obconical meristematic cell adjacent to the quiescent apex, as in the Doodia spp., or by further divisions form an asymmetric, broad, prothallial plate in which a meristematic cell is differentiated in a marginal cell on the broader side of the plate. A marginal hair is produced prior to the establishment of a meristematic cell. The meristematic region later becomes ‘apical’ by unilateral growth of the young prothallus. In Stenochlaena there is a perceptible retardation in growth at the anterior end of the germ filaments when they are 6 7 cells long; the terminal cell often ends in a hair and a prothallial plate is developed from cells behind the quiescent apical region of the germ filament. The meristematic cell is developed laterally.
The mature prothallus is of the cordate type, reaching maturity in about 8 weeks from spore germination, but often continuing growth for long and sometimes elongating markedly with age. In Stenochluena the prothall...