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Proposed Revision of North American Smilaces. 



A careful examination of the authorities on Smilax, Tourn.» 

 and of the Columbia College specimens of this genus, convinces 

 me that no sound and satisfactory revision of the North American 

 species, subspecies and varieties, some thirty in number, can be 

 made without new and complete specimens of most of the forms, 

 and accurate field notes concerning many of them. A complete 

 specimen of Smilax includes the base of the stem (at least a foot 



w 



of it) with enough of the rhizome and root attached to show 

 clearly whether there is any tuberous development ; two flovvenng 

 branches not less than two feet long-r-one staminate and one 

 pistillate — and a fully matured fruiting branch of equal length. 

 The field notes should state distinctly the habitat, degree of 

 abundance, size, duration of leaf, time of flowering and fruiting, 

 exact color and odor of flowers, and color of fruit while ripening 

 and also when mature; in the case of all anomalous (perhaps 

 hybrid) forms the names of other species growing near should be 

 noted. Anything, however meagre, relating to the genus will be 

 welcome, and I venture to hope that botanists and amateurs 

 throughout the country will aid me in obtaining from their re- 

 spective sections the necessary material for an adequate (and 

 much needed) revision of our Smilaces, Fresh specimens, snugly 

 rolled in newspapers, will be even preferable to exsiccatse, and 

 will be much less trouble to the sender. 



It is believed that Smilax is always entomophilous, and 

 accurate observations as to the insects by which fertilization is 

 effected are especially desired. E. E. Sterns, 



23 Union Square, New York. 



Reviews of Foreign Literature. 



Ueber kilnstliche Vergrilming der Sporophylle von Onoclea Strtith- 



iopteris, Hoffm, By K. Goebel. (From the Berichte der 



deutschen botanischen Gesellschaft, Dec. 16, 1887.) 



This short paper contains an account of an experiment tried 



in the botanical garden at Marburg. Tt begins with a reference 



to some previous experiments of the author, to show that in a 



number of organs metamorphosis is a real transformation which 



may be experimentally proven, and not the ideal, indefinite con 



