372 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



results of the investigation emphasize the biological value of the tuber, 

 and morphological interpretations, based on anatomical evidence only, 

 should be accepted with caution. A. G. 



Anatomy of Lycopodium reflexum. — J. Ben Hill {Bot. Gaz., 1919, 

 68, 226-31). In this species the two points of interest are the presence 

 of typical cortical roots and the various " types " of stele in the stem. 

 In the steles of the cortical roots the development and differentiation of 

 the tissues are parallel to those in the stele of the stem. There are three 

 arrangements of the xylem — namely, radial, parallel-banded, and radial 

 modified so as to consist of an inner cylinder of xylem enclosing a small 

 strand of phloem. This last arrangement is the most frequent. Thus 

 are confirmed the author's previous suggestion that all arrangements of 

 xylem may occur in the same stem in species of Lycoiwdkim. A. G. 



Method of staining Antherozoid of Fern. — W. N. Steil {Bot. Gaz., 

 1918, 65, 562-3, 1 fig.). A satisfactory method of staining differenti- 

 ally the constituent parts of the antherozoid. -The nucleus is rendered 

 bright red by safranin, and the cytoplasm bluish pink by acid fuchsin, 

 the blepharoplast having a deeper colour. As shown in the figure the 

 cilia are attached for some distance along the blepharoplast, but none to 

 the anterior end. The envelope at the anterior end extends a short 

 distance beyond the nucleus, which is small and rod-like at this 

 extremity. A. G. 



Ferns of South Africa. — T. R. Sim {Cambridge Univ. Press, 1915, 

 second edition, xi and 384 pp., 186 pis.). The region covered by the 

 present edition is extended so as to include all territory to the south 

 of the Zambesi. The nomenclature now adopted is that of Christensen's 

 Index Filicum ; and 61 genera and 220 species are enumerated, 

 including descriptions of six species and several varieties which are new 

 to science. This means an increase of 27 plates and about 40 species 

 beyond those contained in the first edition, where the area covered was 

 much less — namely, that part of Africa lying south of the Tropic of 

 Capricorn. The present edition treats of the whole of Africa south of 

 the Zambesi ; and the northern colonies thus brought in have proved 

 to be much richer in ferns than had been anticipated. The features of 

 the work are a description and figure of each species, keys to the genera 

 and species, chapters on cultivation, ecology, distribution, etc. A. G. 



Bryophyta. 



Columella in Marchantia polymorpha. — J. E. Cribbs (Bot. Gaz., 

 1918, 65, 91-6, 2 pis.). Treats of the tendency of the capsule to form 

 a columella, a point not previously noted in literature. In Marchantia 

 the elaters are sometimes developed so abundantly in the middle of the 

 capsule as to produce a columella. Intermingled with the elaters are 

 chains of cells derived from sporogenous tissue, but failing to reach the 

 spore mother-cell stage, and persisting until the elaters develop their 

 wall thickenings. These sporogenous cells then disintegrate, not appa- 

 rently as serving any nutritive function, but through pressure from the 



