Floristik und Systematik der Phanerogamen 117 



Dybowski, W., porzeczce görskiej (Ribis alpinum L.). 



[lieber die alpine Joiiannisbeere.] (Wszechswiat 



[Weltall]. Warschau 1904. No. 11. p. 171 — 172.) [Polnisch.] 



Aus Anlass der Arbeit von Prof. Janczewski „Ueber Sexualität 

 der Johannisbeere {Ribes L.) (Bull, intern, d. l'Acad. d. Sc. d. Cracovie. 

 1904J. macht der Verf. aufmerksam auf eine interessante, vom genannten 

 Autor beschriebene Form von Ribes alpinum L., wo eine einhäusige Art 

 zweihäusig wird, und zwar nur dadurch, dass die Antheren bei 

 physiologisch weiblichen Blüthen und ganze Fruchtknoten mit Samen- 

 anlagen bei männlichen sich schlecht entwickeln. Diese Thatsache 

 stimmt mit eigenen Beobachtungen des Verf. über R. alpinum überein, 

 dass nämlich die Beeren auf einigen Sträuchern in grosser Menge, auf 

 anderen sehr selten, auf anderen gar nicht vorhanden sind. Bei dieser 

 Gelegenheit erinnert der Verf., dass in der von ihm bewohnten Gegend 

 (Nianköw, Gouv. Minsk, Kreis Nowogrödek) und im Allgemeinen 

 in Lithauen diese einhäusige Form von R. alpinum vorkommt und 

 ausserdem eine sehr interessante schon früher von ihm beschriebene 

 Form f. Sterins. Dieselbe ist deshalb interessant, da sie ein Stadium 

 bietet, in welchem weibliche Blüthen schon ganz verloren gegangen sind, 

 und die Trauben, nur aus männlichen Blüthen bestehend, ein ganz 

 abweichendes Aussehen haben. B. Hryniewiecki. 



Engler. A., Plants of the Northern TemperateZone 



in their Transition to the High Mountains of 



Tropical Africa. (Annais of Botany. Vol. XVIII. 



No. LXXII. October 1904. p. 523—540.) 



In the present paper the author first considers a number of plants, 

 of which closely allied species occur in the northern temperate zone and 

 on Ihe tropical African mountains. The species of Luzula invoived are 

 first considered in some detail, with regard to Z.. spicata and its varieties 

 the author comes to the conclusion that the species, after having origi- 

 nated in the Northern hemisphere, was widely distributed in the moun- 

 tainous parts of it as well as throughout the artic circle; that it ad- 

 vanced along the Andes of N. America as far as Mexico, where 

 it was transformed into L. racemosa, irom which other peculiar species 

 have branched off. To the east it seems not to have gone beyond the 

 Himalayas. When passing over to the highlands of Abyssinia 

 only few transformations took place, leading to the development 

 of L. abyssinica Parlat (= L. spicata var. simensis Höchst.). From 

 Abyssinia to Kilimanjaro it is necessary to suppose distri- 

 bution of the seeds by air-currents or birds; on the Kilimanjaro 

 two varieties of the Abyssinian plant liave arisen viz. KUi- 

 mandscharica Engl, and Volkensii (Buchenau) Engl. (= L. Volkensii 

 Buchenau). These African forms differ from all other forms of 

 L. spicata in having stolons, in their obtuse leaves and bracts, and in 

 the erecr inflorescence. — Anthoxunthum nivale K. Schum. from the 

 Kilimanjaro is more nearly related to the European A. oäoratum 

 than to any other species of this genus and only occurs in the upper 

 regions in Airica; A. odoratum has been recorded from the Uluguru 

 mountains. — After a similar discussion of the distribution of other plants 

 common to the two regions under consideration (e. g. Koeleria cristata 

 (L.) Fers., Arabis albida Stev., Subularia monticola A. Br. etc.), for which 

 reference must be made to the original, the author proceeds to discuss 

 the Immigration of these highland forms, which are all systematically 

 isolated in Tropical Africa, whereas there is quite a number of 

 allied species in the temperate zone. Immigration may be due to heavy 

 gales or more commonly to birds of passage and reasons are given for 

 assuming that it took place at some earlier date and in the Interim forms 

 have arisen, which are constantly distinct from the European ones. 

 These differences are however always in harmony with the different cli- 



