80 Pflanzenchemie. — Botanik. — Personalnachricht. 



3. Das Araban, welches nach A. Wröblewski die Diastase 

 stets begleitet, ist sicher ein dextrinartiges Umwandlungsprodukt 

 des obengenannten Kohlehydrates. 



Die Studien werden fortgesetzt. Matouschek (Wien). 



Howard, A. and L. C. Gabrielle. Studies in Indian Fibre- 

 plants. N. 2. On some new varieties of Hibiscus cannabinus , 

 L. and Hibiscus Sabdariffa, L. (Memoirs Dept Agric. India, Bot. 

 IV. 2. p. 9—36, with 6 plates. 1911.) 



The authors about a year ago (see Bot. Centralblatt, CXVI. p. 

 359) showed that Hibiscus cannabinus at Pura in the Gange tic 

 Piain is rather commonly cross-fertilised, but that H. Sabdariffa is 

 self-fertilised. They then mentioned that they had cultivated several 

 varieties of each of these species; in the present paper these varie- 

 ties are described and figured. In chief part the varieties are what 

 the writer as a systematic botanist would prefer to call races. They 

 are as follows: 



H. cannabinus, var. simplex. Sterns, purple; leaves entire, with 

 purple petioles; var. viridis as the last in foliage, but the purple 

 colour is absent from the plant; var. ruber stem red below, greenish 

 above, leaves divided, with green petioles; var. purpureus .as the 

 ast in foliage, but purple colour as in var. simplex; var. vulgaris as 

 the third in foliage, but the red or purple colour is absent. 



The last two the authors divide into types chiefly by earliness 

 or lateness. 



H. Sabdariffa, var. ruber stem and petiole entirely red , pulvinus 

 and calyx red, flowers on withering turning pink; var. albus stem, 

 petiole and pulvinus green, calyx yellowish, flowers on withering 

 remain yellow; var. intermedius stem and petiole green with some 

 red , pulvinus red , calyx yellowish green , flowers on withering remain 

 yellow; var. bhagalpuriensis stem and petiole green with some red , 

 pulvinus green, calyx green with red splashes, slightly more obtuse 

 and more twisted than in any other of the three foregoing varieties , 

 flowers on withering turn pink. 



The authors name important features other than are given in 

 their definitions, which they have noticed, such as degree of ferti- 

 lity, and habit. Füll descriptions and figures amplify the definitions. 

 They point out that seedling differences exist which can serve the 

 cultivatiors as eye-marks whereby to keep their crops approximately 

 pure by weeding out divergent forms in thinning. I. H. Burkill. 



Personalnaehrieht. 



Deceased: Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker on Sunday December 

 10. at ninetyfour years of age. The offer of burial in Westminster 

 Abbey had to be declined by the family as it was Sir Joseph's 

 express wish that he should be buried by the side of his Father 

 at Kew. (Nature). 



Ausgegehen: 1© Januar 1913. 



Verlag von Gustav Fischer in Jena. 

 Buchdruckerei A. W. Sythoff in Leiden. 



