120 



the action of the tannin which they contain, on the chlorophyll. Thus, 

 without desiring to affirm it absolutely, Prof. Schnctzler supposes a 

 priori that there is in plants only one coloring md.itQX—c/iIorop/iyn, 

 which, being modified by certain agents, furnishes all the tints that 

 flo'.yers and leaves exhibit. As for white flowers, it is well known that 

 their cells are filled with a colorless fluid, opacity being due to air 

 contained in the numerous lacunae of the petals. On placing the 

 latter under the receiver of an air-pump, they are seen to lose their 

 opacity and to become transparent as the air escapes from them. 



Pilosity as a Teratological Phenomenon. — Hitherto, teratologists 

 have considered undue pilosit)-, or the adventitious production of 

 hair in plants, as a matter of minor importance, but M. Ed. Heckel, 

 in a recent note to the French Academy {Comptes Rendiis, xci., p. 349), 

 nisists that there are certain phases of this sort of change in plants 

 which have a liigher significance than that of a simple variation. He 

 proposes to divide the phenomenon into the following three categories: 



(i.)_ Physiological Pilosiiy, which includes the formation of hairs, 

 or the increase in number of these, on the parts of plants where they 

 are normally present, or even entirely wanting. Such cases are oftenest 

 seen when plants change their habitat from a wet to a dry soil. This 

 sort of physiological adaptation takes place within quite narrow lim- 

 its ; and It varies from glabrousness to pilosity unaccompanied by 

 any alteration of specific characters. 



(2.) Teratological Pilosity, which begins at the moment the spe- 

 cific habit 13 altered, and acquires its maximum when the modifica- 

 tions are profound enough to suggest the idea of a new species. A 

 large number of conditions capable of producing nutritive troubles in 

 plants may give rise to this peculiar phenomenon, which M. Heckel 

 proposes to introduce into teratological literature under the dis- 

 tinctive term of " Deforming Pilosity " {Pihsisme deformaui). 



(3.) Pilostty due to the Sting of Insects or to Organic Variations, 

 which is clearly distinguished from the former in being very localized 

 (e. g certain galls, the filaments of Verbascum with aborted anthers 

 etc.,) and which cannot change the habit of the species. ' 



Of changes due to deforming pilosity, M. Heckel gives two promi- 

 nent examples which he has studied, Lilium Afartai^on, L , and Gen- 

 ista aspalathoides. Lam. The alterations in the last-named plant are so 

 profound that its monstrous state has even been described by De Can- 

 dolle as a species, under the name of G. Lobelii ; while by Morris it has 

 been regarded as a marked variety, and named by him var. confertior. 



97. Publicatl0ns.~^r/.^;-.V.//.. Segrezianum, Icones Selectae Ar- 

 borum et Fniticnm in Hortis Segrczianis Collectorum. Descriptions 

 of figures of new, rare, or critical species of the Arboretum of Segrez. 

 Ly Alphonse Larallee. We are indebted to Mr. F. W. Christern for a 

 specimen copy of Livraison f oi this magnificent work It contains 



-ollows: land n. Juglans Sieboldiana, Maxim; HI. 



D 



Gray : V. 



K^aiaeguscuncaia bieD. M Zucc. ; VI. Jamesia Americana, T & G 

 Flor. N Amer. Vol. I (;;./ II) p. 593. -phe work will form two vol- 

 umes 4to josus (fol. II X 15 inches) of 60 plates each ; and there 

 will be published every three months one livraison, of 6 plates with 

 descriptive text, at 10 francs each ^ 



