32G SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Bryophyta. 



Origin of Moss-Archegonium.* — Gr. M. Holferty discusses the de- 

 velopment of the archegonium of mosses, and especially of the axial 

 cells, basing his views upon a study of Mnium cuspidatmn. After a 

 short historical account of previous researches, he describes the early 

 stages of the archegonium, the behaviour of the terminal cell and the 

 canal cells, the division of the central cell, the peripheral cells. He 

 attempts to establish the homology of archegonia and antheridia by 

 showing the homology (1) of the early stages ; (2) of the cells of the 

 axial row ; and (3) of the axial row series and sperm mother-cells. He 

 thinks that both archegonia and antheridia may have had a common 

 origin in the asexual multilocular terminal zoosporangium of some 

 primitive extinct genus of Chlorophycese. 



Critical Notes on Muscinese.f — V. Schiffner begins a series of critical 

 notes on new or little known mosses and hepatics, with remarks on their 

 distribution, morphology and biology. He gives a detailed description 

 of Scapania n&palensis Nees, and discusses its affinity. He has examined 

 the original specimen of Gymnoscyphus repens Corda, and finds it to be 

 parocious and identical in structure with Aplozia pumila. Hence the 

 genus Gymnoscyphus, a long-standing puzzle, must be suppressed. He 

 discusses Lepidozia reptans forma laxa Jaap, an interesting plant which 

 must be regarded either as linking L. reptans with L. Pearsoni, or as 

 a new species, L. intermedia. He describes Cephaloziella Jaclcii var. 

 Jaapiana, an interesting instance of modifications caused by change of 

 environment. He gives the chief characteristics of C. byssacea var. 

 verrucosa Jens., and is inclined to regard the plant as a mere form. 



Rhynchostegium litoreum.J — H. N. Dixon discusses the systematic 

 position of this moss, which occurs along the Mediterranean coast and 

 also in the south of England. He has received specimens from Algiers, 

 the first record for Africa. Its affinity he considers to be with R. temllum 

 rather than with R. curvisetum, for reasons which he states in detail. As 

 an alternative, he raises the question whether R. litoreum may not be a 

 hybrid of the other two species. 



Tyrolean MuscineseJ — K. W. v. Dalla Torre and Ludwig Graf von 

 Sarnthein have issued the fifth volume of their flora of Tyrol, Vorarlberg 

 and Liechtenstein, containing a list of 182 hepatics and 731 mosses, 

 with numerous varieties. A complete account of the distribution in the 

 several botanical provinces is given, with the collector's name, substratum, 

 altitude, and references to the literature where the record is to be found. 

 Limpricht's classification has been employed for the mosses, and assistance 

 has been obtained from Matouschek, Schiffner and Stephani. A chapter 

 on the history of bryological research in Tyrol and a copious index are 

 added. 



* Bot. Gazette, xxxvii. (1904) pp. 106-12G (2 pis.). 

 t Oesterr. Bot. Zeitschr., liv. (1904) pp. 52-8, 102-4. 

 % Rev. Bryol., xxxi. (1904) pp. 21-3. 



§ Flora von Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Liechtenstein. V. Die Moose. Innsbruck, 1904, 

 liv. and 671 pp. (1 portrait). 



