The first recognizable mention of spores in the Saprolegniaceae is in Gruithuisen’s account (1821:445, pl. 38, figs. 14-16) of “seeds” in “compartments” at the ends of filaments of “Conferva” ferax. Hannover’s exposition (1842) of the nature of spores and spore discharge in a watermold was far more detailed: records of daily observations on motility, encystment, and germination. It was Unger (1...