1 88 The Ohio Naturalist. [Vol. II, No. 3, 



BOTANICAL CORRESPONDENCE AND NOTES 

 FOR AMATEURS, II. 



Conducted by W. A. KeIvI.ERMAn. 



Item 5. In a paper read before the Society for Plant Mor- 

 phology, an outline of which was published in vScience, 13 : 250, 

 M. A. Carletou stated that the peculiar, thick-walled, one-celled 

 spores of Puccinia vexans Farlow, after repeated failures, had 

 been germinated. They are, however, not properly uredo spores 

 nor teleuto spores, according to Mr. Carleton, but "partake of 

 the nature of both. They make a distinct new spore for this 

 order of fungi, and may be called ampliisporc.'' 



Item 6. Arthur and Hohvay, in their descriptions of American 

 Uredinese, III, have very commendably extended and varied the 

 use of signs for designating the spore stages of the Uredineae. 

 As is well known, the Roman numerals I, II and III have long 

 been used to designate respectively the aecidium, the uredo, and 

 the teleutosporic stage (usually called black rust, Puccinia, 

 Uromyces, etc. ). To this series has been added O for the sper- 

 magonia. In the article alluded to still another sign is intro- 

 duced, namely, X for the amphispores. The authors indicate 

 relative abundance of spores in their Exsiccata by the use of 

 both capitals and lower case letters — the former for maximum 

 and the latter for minimum quanties. Thus, for example, i, ii, 

 III, would indicate small proportion of aecidium and uredo, but 

 a maximum amount of the teleutospores ; iii, X, would denote a 

 minor quantity of teleutospores and a major amount of amphi- 

 spores. 



Item 7. A Manual of Botany has just been published which 

 should be in the hands of ever}' teacher of this subject, and 

 every botanical student, pupil and amateur should also possess a 

 copy. It is up to date in every respect, contains all the flowering 

 plants and vascular cryptogams of our region, gives keys to the 

 orders, keys to the genera and keys to the species. The well- 

 known author, Dr. N. L. Britton, has described every clearly 

 recognized and distinct form as a species ; he has also enumerated 

 many varieties, these usually with quite ample diagnoses. The 

 book is indispensable to the student of American botany, and no 

 one interested in our flora can afford to be without it. 



Too much praise cannot be accorded the publishers. The 

 paper is thin but good ; the binding is durable yet light ; the 

 names stand out black and bold ; the type for descriptions is 

 clear ; the covers not awkwardly stiff ; the number of pages 

 1,080, and yet the book is only an inch and three-eighths thick ; 

 even more remarkable for a book of this character and quality, 

 the price is only two dollars and twenty-five cents. 



