398 Angewandte Botanik. 



volatile oil, resin, gum, and salts of potassium and calcium. It has 

 won some reputation as an antilithic, and is also used in chronic 

 nephritis etc. Several figures illustrate the text, and the internal 

 structure is described. No „appareil de soutien" was observed in the 

 roots, and no fungal hyphae either; the increase in thickness takes 

 only place within the stele. There is in the stem an indication of 

 collenchyma in four continuous, hypodermal strata, but no endo- 

 dermis, and the pericycle contains only small, scattered Strands of 

 stereome; cork occurs in the old branches and is of pericyclic origin. 

 The leaves show a bifacial structure, at least partly so, for near 

 epidermis on both faces the chlorenchyma consists actually of pali- 

 sades except in the middle portion, near the midrib. Collenchyma 

 accompanies all the veins, besides that the midrib has a stereomatic 

 pericycle, surrounding a Single collateral mestome-strand. Aggre- 

 gated crystals of calcium-oxalate, and also some Single, rhombic 

 were observed in the collenchyma. Theo Holm. 



Holm, Th., Medicinal plants of North America. 51. Hex 

 opaca Ait. (Merck's Report XX. p. 124—126. fig. 1-20. May 1911.) 



The medicinal properties of /. opaca and /. Aquifolüim appear 

 to be the same; the leaves have a bitter taste, and were formerly 

 used as a diaphoretic, in catarrh, gout etc.; they contain „ilex- 

 anthin", a yellow-coloring substance, and a peculiar acid „ilicic 

 acid". The berries contain tannin, pectin, two crystallizable organic 

 principles, and salts of potassium, calcium and magnesium. The 

 seedling-stage and the mature tree is described, also the internal 

 structure. Sclere'ids were observed in the secondary cortex of the 

 roots, and there is an abundance of thickwalled libriform, beside 

 cork of pericambial origin. The stem shows thickwalled cork deve- 

 loped from epidermis, and the pericycle represents a closed sheath 

 of stereome, intermixed with very porous sclerotic cells. The leaf- 

 structure is distinctly bifacial, but lacks the hypoderm otherwise 

 so characteristic of the evergreen species of the genus. Collenchyma 

 and a stereomatic pericycle, extremely thickwalled, surrounds the 

 midvein, which is composed of several confluent mestome-strands 

 enclosing a true, central pith. A similar steloid structure charac- 

 terizes the petiole. Theo Holm. 



Holm, Th., Medicinal plants of North America. 5 2. Mo- 

 narda punctata L. (Merck's Report XX. p. 154 — 156. fig. 1 — 17. 

 June 1911.) 



Several species of Monarda are used in medicine, and deserve 

 peculiar attention, having so many powerful combined properties; 

 of these M. punctata L. is the strongest, but the taste is less agre- 

 able; a volatile oil abounds in the plant, and consists of a hydro- 

 carbon, thymol, and higger oxygenated Compounds. The drug is a 

 stimulant and carminatine. The plant is figured and described; the 

 following anatomical features may be mentioned. In comparing the 

 root structure with the one observed in other Labiatae previously 

 described in Merck's Report {Cunila, Hedeoma, Collinsonia and 

 Glechoma) Monarda is readely distinguished by the secondary 

 increase inside and outside the stele, as well as by the occurrence 

 of secondary stereome outside the leptome. The stem has four 

 Strands of hypodermal collenchyma, a distinct endodermis, and a 



