184 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



points. Utricularia vulgaris and U. neglecta are unable to live out of 

 water, but U. Bremii, U. minor, U. ochrohuca and U. intermedia can 

 exist for a long time if carefully watered. U. montana is a true land 

 form and has lost its plasticity. The species U. cornuta, U. reniformis, 

 U. Gluckii, U. elephas, U. Herzogii, U. Menziesii and U. neottio'ides show- 

 great difference in form and adaptability. It would appear that the 

 formation of the bladders may be of use in classifying and identifying 

 species. U. neottio'ides has bladders on the leaves of young plants, 

 although the older plants have no bladders. 



Irritability. 



Chloroplast-movements.* — K. Linsbauer and E. Abranowicz have 

 studied the movements of chloroplasts, especially in Lemna trisulca and 

 Funaria. The conclusions formed are briefly as follows : — The move- 

 ments of the chloroplasts of these two plants show many analogies with 

 the streaming of protoplasm. Ether-water (1 p.c.) inhibits the move- 

 ments normally exhibited when the plants are placed in darkness, while 

 the assumption of the profile position due to direct insolation is facili- 

 tated. In positive apostrophe, however, etherised chloroplasts retain 

 their position. Withdrawal of CO., is favourable to the taking up of 

 the apostrophe position in direct sunlight, but is unfavourable to the 

 change into the epistrophe position upon cessation of this light. Move- 

 ment of the chloroplasts, unlike streaming of protoplasm, ■ is connected 

 with the power of assimilation. Increase in turgor favours the positive 

 apostrophe. The collecting of chloroplasts in definite positions must be 

 connected with phototaxis of the protoplasm. In Funaria the chloro- 

 plasts move along threads of protoplasm which are continually changing 

 in form and position. Chloroplast movement is passive, although accom- 

 panied in some cases by an amoeboid movement of the chloroplasts 

 themselves. 



General. 



Systematic Relationship of Sarracenia and Cephalotus.f — J. 

 Schweiger has studied the anatomy and morphology of Sarracenia and 

 Gephalotus, and although he agrees with those authors who find a large 

 number of similarities between the two genera, e.g. in the formation of 

 the vascular bundles, the large number of tannin-cells and starch-grains, 

 the structure of the glands, etc., he does not consider that there is suffi- 

 cient ground for inferring a systematic relationship. The similarities 

 appear to be of a biologic and not of a systematic character. The 

 differences on the other hand balance the similarities in number and 

 are of more weight in relation to systematic position. Thus, the flowers 

 of the Sarracenias are pentamerous while those of Gephalotus are hexa- 

 merous. The structure of the stamens and of the pollen-grains is different 

 for the two genera. Especially to be noticed is the difference in seed- 

 development, that of Sarracenia being of the sympetalous type while 

 the seed of Gephalotus is of the polypetalous type. In Sarracenia the 



* SB. Akad. Wiss. Wieu, cxviii. (1909) pp. 137-82 (2 pis. and 2 figs.), 

 t Beih. Bot. Centralbl., xxv. (1909) pp. 490-539 (58 figs.). 



