Ixxx Proceedings of the Botanical Society of 



at his home in Germantown. The plant had carried as many 

 as thirty-seven blooms in one evening. 



Dr. Conard exhibited some luxuriant growths of Hepa- 

 ticce, which had been cultivated at the Garden for a year. 



November 6. Dr. Miller, President, in the chair. Three 

 communications were made bearing on "The Evolution of 

 Stamens and Carpels in Connection with the Sex Cells of 

 Plants." Dr. J. W. Harshberger spoke on "Fertilization 

 in Ferns." Dr. H. S. Conard then spoke on "Fertilization 

 in the Sago Palms," and Dr. Macfarlane treated of "Fer- 

 tilization in Higher Flowering Plants." The speakers 

 showed that there is a definite sequence of events in the his- 

 tory of sporophyte and oophyte or gametophyte generations 

 alike amongst flowerless and flowering plants. Thus the 

 sporophyte plant produces sporophylls, these bear sporangia 

 in sori, sporangia form spores, spores germinating give rise 

 to prothallia, prothallia bear antheridia and archegonia with 

 spermatozoids or sperm nuclei and eggs respectively. The 

 egg when fertilized gives origin to the embryo sporoph^^te 

 again. A conspicuous feature was the gradual reduction in 

 size almost to disappearing point of the sexual generation, 

 as the highest plants were reached. Thus the terms phanero- 

 gam and cryptogam were quite misleading, and should 

 strictly be reversed in their application, or best of all set 

 aside. 



The director of the University Botanic Garden then 

 briefly referred to some plants from the greenhouses, includ- 

 ing a beautiful Vanda from Mr Le Boutillier's collection, 

 evidently near to V. coeruJea. 



November 20. Dr. Miller, President, in the chair. A 

 paper was presented byDr. Seese and read by Dr. Schmucker 

 on "Peloria in Linaria vulgaris." He showed that around 

 Lansdale, Pa., every transition type of flower from one- 

 spurred irregularity to five-spurred regularity could be se- 

 cured. They developed chiefly in early spring or in autumn, 

 and appeared promiscuously with the normal flowers. He 



