Palaeoiitologie. — Pharniaceutisches u. Chemisches. 571 



synangiuni, a cup of short tracheids is found, and these typical 

 leaf-tracheids end immediately under the bases of the sporangia. 

 Some of the sporangia contam oval spores, without ornamentation. 

 Tlie fructii'ication is rcgarded as oi uncertaiti affinity, either as 

 belonging to the Ferns or the Cycadofilices, but most probably to 

 the Ferns. It is associated with a leaflet, apparently of Pecopferis. 

 The new synangiuin is also comjjared with the fossil synangiuni, 

 Ptyclwcarpii^, and that of the recent fern Kaiilfiissia. The genus 

 Cyatlioiracliiis n. gen., and the name C. ciUns n. sp. is instituted for 

 this new fossil, the structurc of which is excellently illustrated by 

 means of three plates. Arber (Cambridge). 



Weiss, F. E., On the Tyloses of Rachiopterls corrugata. (The 

 New Phytolügist. Vol. V. No. 4. 1906. p. 82—85. With two 

 text figures.) 



In many of the fern-stems and their leaf-stalks, as far as they 

 are represented among carboniferous remains, there is apparently very 

 little, if any, wood parenchyma present among the tracheids, and 

 this fact renders it difficult to explain the presence of the tyloses in 

 Rachiopterls insignis and R. corrugata, which were first noticed by 

 Williams on. Ä re-examination of specimens of these fossils con- 

 firms Williamson's views that these cells really are tyloses, and 

 are not of a fungal nature, although such structures are unknown 

 among living Ferns. It is pointed out that whereas, in these fossils, 

 parenchymatous cells are found only on one side of the tracheids, 

 the occurrence of filamentous outgrowths terminating in dilated 

 tyloses may be a necessity to close the distal portion of the lumen. 

 But how the tyloses are formed when the tracheid is surrounded on 

 all sides by other tracheids, is more difficult to imagine. An instance 

 is also cited which diifers from the ordinary tyloses in having its 

 walls thickened (probably lignified) and the thickening has taken 

 place in such a manner as to give the structure the appearance of 

 a small pitted tracheid; a State of things which is also met with in 

 the recent Dicotyledon Cucumis. The occurrence of this anomalous 

 tylose in R. corrugata greatly strengthens the probability of the 

 thin-walled protusions being also of the nature of tyloses, although 

 the origin of these intrusive cells cannot be explained satisfactorily. 

 Possibly hidden parenchymatous cells may have existed at the 

 angles of the tracheids. Arber (Cambridge). 



DuNSTAN, W. R. a n d A. E. Andrews, Contributions to our 

 Knowledge of the Aconite Alkaloids. Part XVI. Inda- 

 conitine the Alkaloid of A conifuin cliasmanttium. Part 

 XVII. Bikhaconitine the Alkaloid o\ Aconitum spicatum. 

 (Journ. Chem. Soc. London. Vol. LXXXVII. 1005. p. 1620 

 — 1650.) 



DuNSTAN, W. R. and T. A. Henry, Contributions t o our k n o w - 

 ledge of the Aconite Alkaloids. Part XVIII. The 

 Aconitine Group of Alkaloids. (Journ. Chem. Soc. London. 

 Vol. LXXVIl. 1905. p. 1650—1656.) 



Indaconitine is acetylbenzoylpseudaconine. Its physiological 

 properties are as follow: The alkaloid and its salts are highly toxic. 

 The poisonous action differs chiefly on degree from that of aconitine 

 and pseudaconitine. The toxic action is practically removed by 



