The effect of carbon dioxide on the growth and vegetative reproduction ofSphagnum cuspidatumin aqueous solutions

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Abstract
A technique is described for producing sterile cultures of young leafy primary shoots of S. cuspidatum from surface-sterilized spores on mineral agar. When these were transferred to sterile aqueous mineral nutrient solution contained in Erlenmeyer flasks, growth was slight and abnormal. Plants resembling those that occur naturally could be produced only when air enriched with CO2 was passed through the solution. The branches produced on these first generation plants all resembled innovations (i.e., were of unlimited growth and terminated in capitula). Second generation plants were obtained by removing the capitula from plants of the 1st generation and replacing them in aqueous culture solution and 3rd generation plants by repeating the procedure on those of the 2nd generation. Almost all of the branches on the 3rd generations resembled fascicular branches (i.e. were of limited growth and lacked lateral branches and capitula). Plants of the 2nd generation all produced both fascicular branches and innovations together with branches which were intermediate between these 2 types. Fascicular branches and innovations are apparently homologous. The lack of innovations on the more mature, 3rd generation plants might be a manifestation of apical control of branching facilitated by the differentiation of a conducting system within the stem.