Botanical Gazette. 



Vol. VI. AUGUST, 1881. No. 8. 



Editorial. — The Editor of this journal will be absent dur- 

 ing the month of August. This announcement is not to discourage 

 correspondence, but to account for any delay in answering it. All 

 communications can be sent as heretofore, and contributions to the 

 September number must be in hand on or before August 25. 



The pellucid stems of Pilea pumila yield as rich and easy re- 

 sults to the microscopic anatomist as any plant I know of, hardly ex- 

 cepting the universally useful pumpkin vine. The stems are already 

 translucent and when hardened by alcohol are remarkably easy to get 

 perfectly transparent sections from. Tiie single row of epidermal 

 cells, the frequent section views of stomata, the typical collenchyma 

 and under it the cambium, and then about a dozen perfectly top- 

 shaped fibro-vascular bundles, all come out so clearly that even a 

 beginner can demonstrate them with but little difficulty. My pickle 

 jar is tuU of it now and a glimpse of one or two sieve plates has en- 

 couraged me to look farther. I mention all this because so univer- 

 sally abundant a thing as Pilea can easily be "pickled" for fall and 

 winter use in the laboratory. 



Mr. A. H. CuRTiss, of Jacksonville, Fla., has his second fas- 

 cicle of Southern Ferns ready for distribution, and also a second issue 

 of the first fascicle mostly collected in different localities. The second 

 fascicle is mailed to subscribers for $1.50 ; the first for $1.25; 25 

 cents off on extra sets in one package. 



The new fascicle contains Ptcris lon^ifolia^ P. Crdica, P. serrulata, 

 P. aquili/ia, var.from Cape Sji.h\e, Adian/i/m CapiUiis- Veneris^ Aspknium 

 parvulum, A. dai/atitiii, A. firmuin, A. Diyriop/iylluni, Aspidium trifolia- 

 tifn, Aiicimia adiantifolia. All of these are root specimens. 



The reissue of the first fasciple contains Acrostkhum auranii, 

 Polypodium aurciitn, Bkclntum scrntlatiim and Aspidium iinitnm, var. 

 ^labrum from the Caloosahatchie; Polypodium Pectinatiim, from Daytona; 

 Polypodiam Phyllitidis and Vittatia liiicaia from forests bordering the 

 Everglades ; Aspidiiiin patcus and Ntphrohpis cxaltata from near Tam- 

 pa ; Chcilanthcs inicrophylla and Aspidiuin Floridanum from the 

 St. John's River. 



Prof. A. F. W. Schimper, of Johns Hopkins University, in the 

 July Nntiiralisl gives a brief account of the results of his recent investi- 

 gations upon the growth of starch grains. The theory of Nageli has 

 been generally accepted and intussusception has been taught in our 

 class rooms with considerable confidence. The investigations of Prof. 

 SchiniK-r, however, reveaJ certain facts which can by no means he 



