192 NOTES AND KXTIIBITS. 



Little Bay, in April, 1919. Only one fruit was seen on the 

 plant, which was not fully matured, although it appeared to be 

 about two years old. When the valves opened it yielded a few 

 seeds, some of which were apparently imperfectly developed, as 

 only a solitary seed has germinated. A few cuttings have been 

 handed over to the Botanic Gardens, with a view of propagating 

 this interesting albino, which seems to be very desirable for our 

 gardens. 



Mr. A. A. Hamilton exhibited examples of precocious germin- 

 ation (vivipary), from the National Herbarium, in Cucnrbita 

 Pepo L, "Pumpkin" (E. N. Ward; May, 1917; and J. Angel; 

 April, 1919); Citrus medica L., var. livionum, " Lemon ' (Miss 

 Wilbow; December, 1910; and W. M. Dohertv: March, 1917): 

 Tagetes patula L., "African Marigold" (W. F. Blakely; April, 

 1914); and Impatiens balsamina L., " Balsam'' (Mrs. Hamilton: 

 March, 1917). Seedlings which had produced roots and green 

 cotyledons were found in the interior of both Lemon and Pump- 

 kin in which the pericarp was intact, and seed germination had 

 occurred in the capitula of the Marigold and the capsule of the 

 Balsam, on the growing plants An example of this occurrence 

 in a Melon is noted by Sir W. Thistleton-Dyer (Ann. of Bot., 16, 

 149), who suggests an analogy between the reproductive method, 

 of the " Brazil-nut," Berthollelia excelsa — in which precocious 

 germination is a normal condition— and that of the wild Melon. 

 Sachs (Text Book of Botany, p. 065) says — " The green colouring 

 substance is formed in the cotyledons of Conifers, &c, in com- 

 plete darkness as well as when subject to light." 



Miss Sarah Hynes exhibited a beautiful and interesting series 

 of paintings in water-colours of Dlctyophora {Phcdloidece) drawn 

 from Nature in Papua by Mrs. Ellis Rowan. This Fungus is at 

 first enclosed within a volva, concealed beneath the around. 

 which breaks through the ground, ruptures, and the internal 

 part rises as a stipe which lengthens rapidly and elevates the 

 pileus in the air (it grows six or more inches in from half to two 

 or three hours) The pileus or membrane bears the gleba or 

 spore-bearing pulp, which rapidly becomes viscid and offensive 



