The Effect of Coconut Milk on the Germination and Growth of Spores of Nephrolepis hirsutula

Abstract

The liquid endosperm of coconuts (generally referred to as coconut milk) has been used as a basal medium in many studies of the growth of angiosperm tissues. It has been used as a supplement to the medium in only a few investigations of the growth of fern tissues (Kato, 1964). Since fern tissues are retatively easy to grow in culture, there is no necessity to use supplements such as liquid coconut endosperm. However, in angiosperms the use of coconut endosperm has resulted in some very dramatic changes in the development of tissues (Steward et al., 1964). This investigation was designed to study whether or not coconut endosperm brought about any changes in the development of the gametophytes of Nephrolepis hirsutula.