466 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Lepidostrobus.* — R. Zeiller publishes a study of Lepidostrobus 

 Brownii, founded on specimens derived definitely from the Lower 

 Dinantian, one of them being particularly well preserved. He carefully 

 describes the minute structure of the axis, sporophylls, sporangia, and 

 demonstrates the presence of a ligule. He comes to the conclusion that 

 L. Dabadianus Brongn., L. Rouvillei Ren., and L. Lonrenti Zeill. must 

 be referred to L. Brownii. But he separates off as L. Schimperi the 

 specimen which Schimper believed to be the base of the type of 

 L. Brownii, the structure of the primary wood being different. And 

 another species which he separates off is L. Delagei. 



Wealdian Plants from Peru.f — R. Zeiller describes and figures 

 some Wealdian fossil plants or impressions collected by Capitaine 

 Berthon near Callao and Lima in Peru. Among them are Sphenopteris 

 Berthoni (new), and species of Pecopteris Weichselia, etc. 



Bryophyta. 

 (By A. Gepp.) 



Sporogonium of Cephaloziellacese. — C. Douin discusses the sporo- 

 gonium of the Cephaloziellacea?, the special characters of which render 

 this new family one of the best marked in the vegetable kingdom. He de- 

 scribes and figures the structure of the foot, pedicel, capsule, capsular wall, 

 valves, apparatus for dehiscence, spores, etc. The peculiarities are the 

 pedicel built up of four columns of cells ; the capsule-base composed 

 of eight large hyaline cells ; and especially the four inferior and the 

 four or five large basal external cells — three characters in such very 

 intimate correlation that the presence of one argues strongly for the 

 existence of the other two also ; and they belong exclusively to the 

 Cephaloziellaceae. The family must be ranged between the tribes Tri- 

 gonantheee and Epigonianthefe. The organic perfection of the plants, 

 the remarkable mechanism of dehiscence in the action of the basal cells, 

 the activity of the elaters in scattering the spores, the simple structure 

 of the pedicel so well adapted for rapid elongation, claim, in Douin's 

 opinion, the highest rank for the family. 



Polar Bodies in Antheridia of Ricciocarpus.§ — Ruth S. Atwell 

 describes and figures the appearance of polar bodies in the spermo- 

 genous tissue of Ricciocarpus natans. Centrosome-like bodies appear 

 in both young and old antheridia in the earlier as well as in the 

 diagonal division. The bodies are distinct and cannot be explained 

 as accidental granules, for they are quite constant. But they are not 

 permanent : they arise and disappear with each new division. Their 

 position at the poles and their direct connexion with the spindle suggest 

 that they may represent an important factor in the formation of the 

 spindle. 



* Mem. Acad. Sci., lii. (1911) 67 pp. (14 pis.) See also Bull. Soc. Bot. France, 

 lix. (1913) pp. 661-3. 



t Rev. Gen. Bot., xxv. bis (1914) pp. 647-71 (2 pis.). 

 j Rev. Gen. Bot., xxv. bis (1914) pp. 179-93 (1 pi.). 

 § Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, xli. (1914) pp. 333-6 (1 pi.). 





