22 THE PLANT WORLD. 



NOTES ON CURRENT BOTANICAL LITERATURE. 



The very rare little fern. Schi::aca ('iisllla ha.s been found by 

 George E. Nichols about two hundred miles northeast of the 

 station reported in 1879 by Mrs. E. G. Britton, at Grand Lake, 

 Nova Scotia. The new locality is on Cape Breton Island, about 

 ten miles from Northeast Alargaree, \'ictoria County. In this 

 northern station the i)lants are dwarfed, being hardly two inches 

 high. (Fcni Bulletin, 13: Oct. 1905.) 



Another interesting find has been made b\- Mr. A. B. Klugh, in 

 CJntario, that of Scolopcndriuui z'til_^an\ the Hart's-tongue fern. 

 (See Pl.\xt World, Nov.. 1905.) 



The Popular Science }[outIi!\' for Januar}' contains an article 

 by T. G. Montgomery, University of Nebraska, entitled " \\diat is 

 an Ear of Corn? " As opposed to the generally accepted theory 

 that the ear originated from the fusing together of a number of 

 two-rowed spikelets, the author maintains the view that the ear 

 developed directly from the central spike of some tassel-like 

 structure similar to the corn tassel. The evolution of the car is 

 traced from a much-branched grass, each branch terminated by a 

 tassel-like structure bearing hermaphroditic flowers, to a central 

 tassel producing only staminate flowers. At the same time, the 

 lateral branches produce only pistillate flowers. 



In the Journal of the A't"et.' York Botanical Garden for Decem- 

 ber. Dr. Murrill has an interesting account of a Fungus collecting 

 trip in Maine, as a result of which he brc^ught l)ack about 1,500 

 specimens. He found agarics only here and there, while the 

 large woodv funsri are exceedingly common, and are verv de- 

 structive to the elms. Much damage is done by wood-destroying 

 fungi in the lumbering districts of Maine. Most of the wild 

 cherry trees scattered through the woods were entirely dead, and 

 their trunks covered with an imdescribed species of Poria. Dr. 

 Murrill finds a close relationship between the fungi of Maine and 

 those of the old world, particularl}' of F.urope and Siberia. 



Robert F. Griggs has written a monogra])h of " The Willows 

 of Ohio "" as No. i 1 of the Special Papers, being volume 6. part 6, 

 Proc. Ohio State .\cad. of Science. The paper comprises 58 



