Palaeontologie. 51 1 



Weiss, F. E., A probable parasite oi Stigmarian root- 

 lets. (New Phytologist. Vol. II!. No. 3. pp. 63— b8 and 

 2 text-figs. 1904.) 



In this paper it is suggested that the cause of the formation 

 of secondary tissue observed in the middle cortex of a certain 

 Stigmarian rootlet from the Lovver Goal Measures, may be attri- 

 buted to a fungus Urophlyctis, a genus recently shown to have 

 been in existence at that period. 



The secondary tissue is fairly regulär, and is composed of, 

 for the most pari, narrow and thin-walled cells, which resemble 

 closely the cells produced in the formation of callus, or wound- 

 cork in recent plants. Nothing can be seen which could be 

 identified as fungal hyphae, but if, as is suggested, the fungus 

 was of Chytridiaceous affinities, the myceüum may have been 

 of a very slight and transitory kind, and would very probably 

 not have been preserved. Springing from the outer secondary 

 tissue, and in apparent organic connection with it, is a large 

 cylindrical cell, lying in a deep pit-like depression of the outer 

 cortex. This hypertrophied cell contains a fairly large round 

 body, not unlike a very thin-walled spore, and possibly another 

 spore occurs at the base. 



Two alternatives are suggested by the occurrence of spore- 

 like bodies within the cell, and by the formation of secondary 

 tissue within the root with the apparent object of limiting the 

 ravages of some parasitic organism. The large cylindrical cell 

 may either be a fungal sporangium or an hypertrophied cell 

 of the rootlet acting as such. The latter view would appear 

 to be the more probable and suggests the conclusion that the 

 fungus was of the Urophlyctls type. The name Urophlydites 

 Stigmarlae is suggested for this problematical fungus. 



Arber (Cambridge). 



WiGGLESWOTH, ö., The papiUae in the epidermoidal 

 layer of the Calamitean root. (Annais of Bot. Vol. 

 XVIII. pp. 645—648. text figs. 58-60. 1904.) 



The Author in this note gives the results of a detailed 

 examination of the fibrous fragments, which have been recently 

 observed by Miss Stop es to occur in the epidermoidal layer 

 of Calamite roots, projecting from the thickened outer mem- 

 brane of the cells into their cavity. It is suggested that they 

 represent the short arrested branches of a fungal mycelium. 

 It is shown that they are similar to fungal hyphae observed in 

 other parts of the roots and to similar papillae of fungal origin 

 occurring in recent plants. 



Fungi are very commonly present in Calamitean roots, but 

 not in all roots. In some cases apparent sporangia occur at- 

 tached to hyphae in the clefts between two neighbouring epi- 

 dermal cells. 



In a root of Rachiopterls corrugata Will., which is figured, 

 it is found that dark, tapering processes from the walls of the 



