454 abstracts: botany 



The other mineralogic papers treat of: (1) The crystallography of 

 variscite, extending the crystal forms to 14 and noting several different 

 habits. (2) The composition of schneebergite is definitely fixed as 

 2CaOSb 2 4 . The paragenesis of the schneebergite specimens from 

 Schneeberg, Austrian Tyrol, is fully described and illustrated. (3) Ro- 

 meite from Italy and from Brazil is analyzed and its composition de- 

 termined as 5CaO3Sb 2 5 . The romeite from Brazil has been erron- 

 eously called atopite. (4) The natural antimonites and antimonates are 

 listed. (5) The melilite group is studied and it is concluded that all 

 melilites and gehlenites may be considered as isomorphous mixtures 

 of the tetragonal minerals, velardefiite, 2CaOAl 2 3 -Si0 2 , sarcolice, 

 3CaOAl 2 3 -3Si0 2 , and akermanite, 4MgO8CaO9Si0 2 . (6) Thau- 

 masite crystals, from West Pater son, N. J., are hexagonal, c{0001), 

 rajlOlO}, p{1011}, the c-axis being 1.09. (7) The water in tremolite 

 is held to be essential and not "as dissolved water .... not 

 chemically combined . . . . " Analyses suggest the formula, 

 8Si0 2 -5MgO2CaOH 2 0; (8) Massive guanajuatite was identified 

 from Salmon, Idaho, brilliant yellow to orange greenockite from 

 Topaz, California, and well-crystallized jarosite from Bisbee, Arizona. 

 (9) Gigantic crystals of spodumene (one 47 feet long) from the Etta 

 mine, South Dakota, are described and illustrated. (10) Mariposite 

 from California, and alurgite from Italy probably represent the same 

 mineral species. 



The bulletin also includes reprint's of papers on cebollite, nephelite, 

 bloedite, alunite, custerite, hodgkinsonite, pisanite, strengite, and a 

 note on the calculation of a mineral formula. W. T. S. 



BOTANY.— The genus Espeletia. Paul C. Standley. American 

 Journal of Botany, 2: 468-485, pi. 17, f. 1-6. 1915. 

 The genus Espeletia is a member of the family Asteraceae. Its rep- 

 resentatives, natives of the high mountains of northeastern South 

 America, are conspicuous among the composites because of the dense 

 woolly covering of their leaves and inflorescence, and the peculiar habit 

 of many of the species. The present study is based chiefly upon mate- 

 rial from Venezuela received recently by the U. S. National Herbarium. 

 Seventeen species are recognized, six of which are described as new. 

 Six of the species previously described are represented in the National 

 Herbarium by recent collections. P. C. S. 



