No. 1, July, 1920] MORPHOLOGY, ETC., VASC. PLANTS 151 



are described ami illusl rated. <'n>ss pollination was found to OCCUI commonly through tin; 

 aid of insects. It appears thai I iiis Bpeciea may be either self -sterile or Belf-fertile though in 

 one case seed from such fertilizations furnished weak plants. As a result of his morphological 

 and pollinat ion studies the writer concludes that improvement can best he attained by combin- 

 ing desirable characters through crossing. Since it would require too Long a time to obtain 

 pure lines with Cinchona tin' following procedure is suggested: Select two parents which 

 fertile when crossed, which produce a maximum amount of seed and \\ hose hybrids combine 

 the desired qualities. Having once found two such plants they should be multiplied suffici- 

 ently by suckering to plant a seed-garden. 'The free crossing between the two types should 

 then guarantee a yearly yield of superior seed. — R. D. Rands. 



957. Findkis, MARIO. Uber das wachstum des Embryos im ausgesaeten Samen vor der 

 Keimung. [On the growth of the embryos in sown seeds before germination.] Sitzungsber. K. 

 Aka.l. Wiss. \\ "it-ii (Math.-Nat.Kl.) 126: 77-102. 2 pi. 1917.— In a study of the seeds of ten 

 species of flowering plants, the author finds the embryo to be larger or more fully developer! 

 at t he t ime of germination, i.e., the exit of the radical from the seed, than at the time the ripe 

 seed spontaneously separates from the mother plant. This is due to the growth of the embryo 

 in the apparently ripe seed after it is planted. The time necessary for this growth varied from 

 8 days to 10 months in the species studied and is hastened or delayed by various factors. In 

 certain seeds the absorption of water is necessary while in others darkness, frost, etc., are pre- 

 requisite for this embryonal growth. In all the plants discussed the growth of the embryo 

 within the seed after planting is a process which regularly precedes the beginning of germina- 

 tion. However, germination does not necessarily immediately follow the completion of em- 

 bryonal growth. The author concludes that this embryonal growth process in conjunction 

 with certain other factors, is the cause for the delay in germination of ripe seeds after plant- 

 ing. — V . C. Dunlap. 



958. Mondino, Alfonsino. Ricerche anatomiche e morphologiche sulla var. "tuberosa" 

 Asch. dell "Arrhenatherum elatius" M.K. nuovamente trovata in Piemonte. [Anatomical and 

 morphological research on var. tuberosa Asch. of Arrhenatherum elatius M.K. recently found in 

 Piedmont.] Atti. R. Accad. Sci. Torino 54: 782-794. 1919.— The above grain is found widely 

 distributed in Italy, and is distinguished by the tuberosity of the internodes of the rhizome. 

 A comparative study of the caulis, rhizome and tuberous swellings show r s variations which 

 adapt the organs to special functions. In the normal caulis the internodes are empty, but the 

 section of the tuberous internode shows that in the tuberosity the parenchyma, which acts 

 as a storehouse of reserve material, undergoes a preponderating development, excluding the 

 medullary cavity. The vascular bundles, reduced in number and simplified in structure, are 

 arranged in linear series, with the parenchyma disposed in rays so that they appear like stars, 

 contrasting with the regularity of this tissue in the normal caulis. The tissue of the node is 

 composed of thickened parenchyma, containing vascular bundles scattered regularly as in 

 the normal stem. In the tuberous caulis the cuticle is notably increased for protection, and 

 mechanical tissue is entirely reduced. The material stored up in the tuberosity is a carbo- 

 hydrate, graminin, C^HsoO^o, related to inulin. It is found dissolved in the liquid of the 

 leucoplastids, and crystallizes in sphaerocrystals. Through hydrolysis it gives rise to laevu- 

 lose. Its specific weight is 1.5222. It turns polarized light to the left, and fuses at 209°. In 

 mass it is a light cream powder like farina, and it is insoluble in alcohol. It may prove of 

 dietetic importance. — Harriet M. Libby. 



989. Smith, J. J. .Nieuwe misvormingen bij klappers. [New anomalies in cocoanuts.] 

 Teysmannia 30: 291-297. PI. 1-4. 1919. — The paper contains descriptions and figures of 

 anomalies observed in the cocoanut tree. — Transformation of inflorescences into branches. 

 In all the leaf axils there are found branches densely covered with small linear and partly pin- 

 nate leaves, only a small inflorescence remaining at the top. — Increase in the number of female 

 flowers. In some trees the inflorescences show the normal form; nearly all the female flowers 

 produce fruit, which, however, remains very small; many of the fruits with a length of at most 

 11 cm., germinate normally. In other trees the inflorescences are simple, or bear only one, 



