XXVIII.—The Structure of the Foot in certain Mosses and in Anthoceros lœvis

Abstract

The writer recently undertook an investigation of certain aspects of the water relationships in the gametophyte of Polytrichum (2), showing that a large quantity of water ascends through the central strand of the stem and is given off in transpiration from the leafy shoot. The experiments were later extended to the sporophyte, the transpiration rate again being measured (3). While these observations were in progress, it was suggested that it would be useful at the same time to examine in detail the structure of the absorbing organ of the sporophyte, usually referred to as the “foot,” an organ which has been defined by Hy (16) as that part of the seta which is embedded throughout its life in the tissues of the gametophyte.