BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 247 



is found to contain more of the endemic element than was anticipated ; and, 

 among other things, it is suspected that there is at least one palm quite differ- 

 ent from the continental American species. Good specimens of the native palm 

 or palms would he very thankfully received at Kew, and any reader of this 

 notice who will send such specimens will be doing a favor to botanists in gen- 

 eral. 



The Ottawa Field Naturalists' Club is an organization that it would 

 be well for some of the brethren of the " States " to pattern after. It was estab- 

 lished in 1879, and has now entered upon its fifth season of field work, the object 

 being.an exhaustive. study of the natural history of Ottawa and vicinity. Trans- 

 actions have already been published containing numerous lists. Excursions are 

 made monthly, and leaders are appointed in each department who are looked to 

 for information and assistance, and who have charge of the excursions of their 

 department. The leaders in botany are K. B. "Whyte and J. Fletcher for Plue- 

 nogams, and Prof. J. Macoun for Cryptogams, Messrs. Whyte and Macoun be- 

 ing also the Vice-Presidents of the Club. Information as to the workings of 

 the Club may be had by addressing the Secretary, W. H. Harrington. 



At the last annual meeting of the Syracuse Botanical Club the follow- 

 ing officers were elected for the ensuing year: President, Mrs. Lillie Barnes; 

 Vice-President, Mrs. Nellie Goodrich; Becording Secretary, Miss Mary Hotch- 

 kiss ; Corresponding Secretary, Mrs. II. S. Giff'ord ; Treasurer, Miss Hattie 

 Leach. 



Dr. Masters has described before the Boyal Horticultural Society a Mal- 

 vaceous plant said to be a cross between Hibiscus Bosa-sinensis and Abutilon stri- 

 atum, the former genus furnishing the pollen. The plant has the flower char- 

 acters of Abutilon, but the truncated column and foliage of Hibiscus. 



In the description of Phallus togatus, Kalchbrenner, in the May Gazette, 

 two errors are noted. In the measurements, " m. m." should be " /jt " ; and " par- 

 vio " should read " pervio." 



Mr. Thomas Meehan has discovered sensitive stamens in Eehinoractus 

 Whipplei. This has long been known in our common Opuntia, but in this Eeh- 

 inocactus the motion is not so great, nor so immediate after the stimulus. 



The following summary by Mr. Bentham, taken from the Jvur. Bot, of 

 the number of phanerogamic plants known to science is especially interesting 

 now that the last volume of the Genera Plantarum has appeared : 



Orders. Genera. Species. 



Polypetake 82 2,610 31,874 



Gamopetalfe 45 2,619 34,556 



Monochlamydeaj 36 801 11,784 



Gymnosperma^ 3 44 415 



Monocotyledons 34 1,495 18,576 



Totals 200 7,569 97,205 



