5« BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 



of J?, abortivus, var. micranthus, my attention w c as called to a singu- 

 lar structure in a head of carpels and occupying the normal position 

 of an achenium. Upon examination it proved to be a flower of the 

 following structure. The flower was raised on a short peduncle and 

 subtended by a bract (b). The calyx (a) was very irregular, no two 

 of the four sepals being of the same shape. The corolla was obso- 

 lete. The stamens (d), eight in number, were nearly normal 

 though in some the filament and anther seemed to blend. There 

 were about ten carpels (c) of normal shape excepting the beak was 

 somewhat elongated. The accompanying figure shows the relation 

 a of the parts, but is greatly magnified, 



d /\x the flower really being no longer than 



one of the carpels. The stamens and 

 petals of the flower, in the head of which 

 „,4 this structure occurred, had fallen. 



_ This variety of R. abortivus in this 

 — -« region has the carpels in an elongated 

 head, the length being often twice the 

 diameter. 



There is another variety of this species (var. grandiflora) which 

 grows upon cliffs _ high above the valleys, in which the petals far 

 exceed the sepals in length, and the flower expands half an inch. 



Ranunculus fascicularis, Muhl., has in this region entire root- 

 leaves and beginners invariably place it along with R. rhomboideus, 

 if they use Gray's Manual, as this u root leaves are not divided to the 

 very base.'' 1 Is it unusual for this plant to have entire root-leaves, 

 or is there some defect in the key?— F. L. Harvey, .Fa^tfmYfe, 

 Ark. 



I 



A Synopsis of the North American Lichens :* Part I, 

 comprising the Pr.rmeliacei, Cladoniei, and Coenogoniei: bv Edward 

 Tuckerman, M. A.: Boston, S. E. Cassino, 1882— This book is ex- 

 actly what is needed to give an impetus to the study of Lichens. 

 Heretofore very few botanists have been attracted to their study 

 from the great lack of convenient literature, but one can hardly 

 turn over the handsomely printed pages of this little octavo volume 

 without feeling a desire to cultivate a field that has so long been 

 neglected. If ever the proverbial "felt want" was a real one it was 

 in this case; and has been supplied by the only person really able 

 to publish an authoritative work of this kind. In this book of some 

 260 pages the author has described the species of one tribe, the 

 Parmeliact /.containing nearly 40 genera, and two families under the 

 tribe Lecideacei, namely, Cladomi and Coenogoniei; loth of which 

 add but four genera. These comprise the more conspicuous lichens, 

 just those to which students are first attracted. In view of the 



*The above notice was prepared tor the April Gazette, but by mistake 

 was omitted. 



