Allgemeines. — Biologie, — Morphologie, etc. 131 



interessante lettre de Tobia Aldini de Cesena qui etait pharma- 

 cien, chimiste et botaniste ä Rome, XVIIe siecle. L'existence d'Al- 

 dini etait douteuse. Ce document dissipe toute incertitude. La lettre 

 traite de questions medicales et botaniques. F. Cortesi (Roma), 



Bruce, A. N., On the Activity of the Glands of Byblis 

 gigantea, Li ndl. (Notes from the Royal Botanic Garden, Edin- 

 burg. NO. XVI, Sept. 1905, p, 9—14,) 



The secretion from the stalked glands of Byblis gigantea has a 

 greater attraction for flies than that of the other members of the 

 Droseraceae. The glands are not purplish as described by Darwin. 

 Experiments show that the tentacles have no power of movement, 

 The sessile glands possess the power of digestion and the dissolved 

 matter is absorbed by the glands; the secretion is acid, Inorganic 

 material or perfectly dry albumin does not cause secretion; soluble 

 nitrogenous substance is required before the latter takes place, The 

 secretion from the stalked glands has no power of digestion. These 

 results disclose a parallel with the activity of the glands of Droso- 

 phylhmi. liisitanicum. In the latter plant the sessile glands have 

 probably been derived from the stalked ones by the loss of the 

 pedicel. In Byblis gigantea possibly the opposite is the case, namely, 

 the stalked glands have been derived from the sessile ones. 



M. Wilson. 



Moss, C. E., Xerophily and the deciduous Habit. (New 

 Phytologist VI, p. 183-185, 1907.) 



The author is not in agreement with the assumption of M, C. 

 Stop es (Bot, Cent. 105 p, 163) that the "xerophytic leaf" and 

 "xerophytic wood" of the Coniferales is a more pronounced form pf 

 xerophily than is found in deciduous trees, The xerophily ot dico- 

 tyledonous trees is seen in the deciduous habit by which winter 

 transpiration is reduced, A wider ränge both in altitude and latitude 

 is found in Betula alba as compared with Pinus sylvestris; the deci- 

 duous Larix extends further towards the Arctic in Siberia than 

 Pinus sylvestris or P. cembra; Vaccinium. ynyrtilhis out-distances both 

 Calluna and the evergreen Vaccinium Vitis idaeus; Quercus robur is 

 distributed where Q. Hex and Q. suber are not. The conclusion that 

 the xerophily of the Coniferales is phylogenetic and not adoptive 

 (cf. Stop es) is doubted on the ground that the broader leaved 

 Conifers are more primitive than the needle-leaved species, and that 

 other recent genera have deciduous Jeaves, The needle leaf and the 

 deciduous habit are regarded as due to environmental factors, and 

 may in themselves explain the frequent dominance and successful 

 competition of northern Conifers among phylogenetically higher 

 forms. What is xerophily is a question which still lacks a satisfac- 

 tory definition. W. G. Smith. 



Cannarella, P., Contributo allo studio dei nettar'ii estranu- 

 ziali e fiorali di alcune Cucurbitacee e di alcune Passißoreje. 

 (Malpighia, XXI, p. 1 — 15. Tav. III. 1908.) 



L'auteur decrit les nectaires et leur position dans quelques 

 Ciicurbitacdes et Passißordes. 



Dans le Coccinia palmata Cogn. les nectaires sont inegalement 

 distribues sur la feuille: ils sont plus frequefrts sur la moitie gauche 



