Problems of Oriented Growth and Structure in Phycomyces

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Abstract
The growing wall of the sporangiophore of Phycomyces is a polysaccharide framework which exhibits preferred orientation of the chitin microfibrils and consists of more than one layer with differing average orientation. The established facts of growth show that the whole growing zone of the cell contributes to growth in a regular way so that the summated process is along clearly defined helical lines. This cannot be strictly structurally determined like the fixed path of a nut being unscrewed along the thread of a bolt, because, among other things, the angle of spiral growth is reversibly changed by change of temperature. Such facts suggest that the angle of spiralling is a dynamic resultant of more than one process or force.
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