Biologie. — Morphologie, Befruchtung, Teratologie, etc. 197 



anormale et appartiennent surtout ä certaines familles (Cruciferes, 

 Alsinees, Rubiacees, Graminees) et ä certdines genves{Heliajii/ienii(m, 

 Cerastiiim, Plantagö), Tauteur fait remarquer que les genres Z)//)/o/(7x/s 

 et Evodinni rentrent aussi dans cette categorie. Trois formes naines 

 du Diplotaxis inmbiea ont ete dejä decrites: (var. integvifolia Guss., 

 var. praecox Lange et var. hiemalis Somm.) propres ä la region 

 mediterranneenne et caracterisees par un developpement et une 

 floraison precoce ou tardive. Probablement le D. scaposa DG., 

 nain aussi et tres voisin du D. miiralis DG. et du D. termifolia 

 DG., n'est qu'une forme saisonniere d'une de ces deux especes. 

 M. Sommier decrit ensuite une colonie de milliers d'individus nains 

 de D. niiiralis, qu'il a remarquee dans les environs de Florence 

 ä l'epoque de la floraison normale de cette espece en montrant que 

 leur nanisme etait du a la nature du terrain qui avait empeche le 

 developpement normal de la plante. II decrit aussi comme une variete 

 nouvelle (var. hicolor Somm.) une forme naine et precoce de 1' Erodmtn 

 cicutarium, caracterisee par un dimorphisme tres marque entre les 

 petales d'une meme fleur. R. Pampanini. 



Yapp, R. H., Fruit-dispersal m Adenostemma viscosutn 

 (Annals of Bolanv. Vol. XX. W. 79. July, 1906. p. 311—316' 

 Fl. XXIII.) 



This Gomposite possesses a stick}?- glandulär pappus, which aids 

 in a peculiar waj- in the dispersal of its fruits. Each of the pappus- 

 bristles is crowned hy a number of capitate secretor}^ hairs of a type 

 common in the Order. During the ripening of the' fruits the torus 

 becomes convex and the involucral bracts completely reflexed, while 

 the corollas and styles of the flowers get detached at their bases by 

 a special mechanism and fall off en masse. The pappus begins to 

 exude a sticky secretion forming large drops round the tips of the 

 setae and the latter assume a horizontal position. This movement is 

 effected b}- means of a pulvinus at the base of each seta; a similar 

 mechanism was observed bj' the author in some of the British 

 Gompositae thus confirming the results of Talieff and Hirsch. The 

 fruits of Adenostemma are thus full}^ exposed and can attach them- 

 selves to any passing animal. F. E. Fritsch. 



Riddle, L. W., On th'e Gj^tology of the Entomophthoraceae. (Proc. 

 of the American Acad. of Arts and Sciences. Vol. XLII. p. 177—197. 

 Pls. 1—3. 1906.) 



A study of Empusa Grylli and several species of Eyitomophthora 

 brought the writer to conclusions somewhat different from those of 

 Olive. The nucleus is well developed, there being a chromatin 

 nucleolus surrounded b}^ a zone of chromatin granules. Division is 

 by a well developed mitosis, in which, however, the chromosomes 

 are organized by the direct aggregation of granules without the 

 formation of a spirem. The spindle is intranuclear and without 

 centrosomes. The conidia of Empusa are multinucleate and those of 

 E^Jomophthora uninucleate. 



Gytological evidence favors the derivation of the Entomophtho- 

 raceae from a Mticor-Uke ancestry. 



Gharles J. Ghamberlain (Ghicago.) 



