286 BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 



The Torrey Bulletin's " Contributions toward a list of the State and 

 Local Floras of the U. S.," appears with its fourth part in the number for June, 

 being devoted to the "Southern States." Kentucky is credited with 11 lists, 

 Tennessee with 1, Alabama 1, Mississippi 1, Louisiana 3, Arkansas 2, Texas 5. 



Dr. Hermann Muller concludes that the flowers of Pulmonaria officinalis 

 change from red to blue, as they grow older, in order to indicate to the intelli- 

 gent bees (Anthophora pilipes, F.) which fertilize it, which flowers should be vis- 

 ited by them for their own and the plant's profit. One bee which he watched 

 visited 182 red to 10 blue ones. 



Col. R. H. Beddome has just published a hand-book of Indian ferns. It 

 covers the same area as that included in Hooker's " Flora of British India," and 

 includes 25 per cent, of all the known ferns. It is the first attempt to study In- 

 dian ferns in the field, and the result is most satisfactory, the species num- 

 bering 061, grouped under 98 genera. There are 300 illustrations. 



P. C. Smith, Esq., of Circleville, Ohio, gives in the Pop. Sci. Monthly some 

 strong evidence in favor of the idea that the rings of growth in trees are annual 

 rings. The evidence relates principally to oaks, and is based upon the " hacks " 

 made by old government surveyors of known date. A counting of rings from 

 the " hacks " out corresponds in every case to the number of years known to have 

 elapsed. 



In Hackel's recent monograph of the European Festucrr there is very care- 

 ful and minute work in the grouping of forms. For instance, F. orina has 9 

 sub-species, the first sub-species (Eu-ovina by name) has 8 varieties with names,, 

 the var. vulgaris having 5 named sub-varieties, the var. durivscuh 7, etc. F. rubra 

 has 6 sub-species, some of which have seven varieties, and some of these as many 

 sub-varieties. 



Prof. W. C. Willtamson adduces (vide articles in journals) additional 

 evidence confirmatory of Prof. A. Dickson's interpretation of the morphology 

 of the pitchers of Cephaloius follieularis. His testimony seems to leave little 

 room for doubt that the petiole of the true leaf is identical with the petiole of 

 the pitcher, which is formed by the pouching of the leaf blade and covered by 

 the lid, an outgrowth from the upper surface of the blade. 



In an interesting note in Science, Prof. N. S. Shaler discusses the function 

 of the "knees "of the swamp cypress [Taxodium distichum). He concurs with 

 the common explanation that they permit the access of air to the roots. He 

 also considers that we have in it the case of the survival of a species 

 owing to a peculiar habit of growth. These cypresses, when grown upon dry 

 ground, develop no such thing as "knees," but when driven to the" water these 

 begin to develop. In this way a " peculiar organ is developed for a special 

 purpose," and, crowded from the dry ground by the broad-leaved trees, it has 

 sought and found safety in the swamps. 



Winter has some interesting notes in the May Hedwic/ia on N. American 

 fungi. He considers ^Eeidium hemisphazrium Peck on Mulgedium, to belong to 

 Puccinia Prenanthis; and the teleutospores of a Puccinia, found by A. B. Sey- 

 mour in Illinois, on Lophahthus nepetoides, he refers to P. verrucosa. What is tin- 



