Botanical Gazette. 



Vol. VI. DECEMBER, 1881. No. 12. 



Editorial. — Mr. Thos. Meehan, in the Gardener's Monthly 

 for November, gives a very interesting history of the weeping willow. 

 All sorts of stories about it have found their way into print and it is 

 well to have them corrected. 



C. V. Naegeli, in a recent number (Oct. 14) of the B tanisehe 

 Zeiinng, has published a paper on "The Growth of the Starch-grain 

 by Intussusception." It will be read with great interest by all inter- 

 ested in this much vexed question. 



Dr. DeCrespignv, in the last Scietice Gossip, speaking of plants 

 from the Swiss Highlands, says that "Desor reports Raniineulus glaci- 

 alis as growing upon the Schreckhorn at 11,600 feet, Androsace pennina 

 at 10,550 feet, and the lichen Parmelia elegans on the highest summit 

 at 13,050 feet." 



Prof. Pfefker has published his first volume on the "Physiology 

 of Plants," it being devoted to Stoffwechsel or metabolism. The sec- 

 ond volume will be upon "Kraftwechsel," which, Mr. Vines says, is 

 the conversions of latent into kinetic energy and vice versa which are 

 involved in the metabolic processes. 



A LATE COPY OF Nature says that Herren Loew and Bokorny 

 find that living protoplasm possesses in an eminent degree the proper- 

 ty of reducing the noble metals from solutions, and that this property 

 is lost when death occurs. The discoverers of this fact say : "It may 

 well be inferred that the mysterious phenomenon denoted by the name 

 of 'Life' depends essentially on these reducing atom groups In the 

 present state of science we explain these 'groups in motion,' these 

 springs of life phenomena, as aldehyde groups, but would by no 

 means exclude some different and better mode of explanation." 



Dr. Arthur Minks is engaged in a most extensive work. Hav- 

 ing established, as he announces, the exact line of demarcation between 

 Lichens and Fungi, he proposes to take them up species by species 

 and show the exact [)osition of each, claiming that many so-called 

 fungi will find a resting place among lichens. This book will be is- 

 sued in yearly parts, each to treat of at least 200 species. The first 

 volume is to appear this month and can be procured from any book- 

 seller in Germany. The decisive characters employed are based upon 

 the thecae. To quote from the prospectus. "The two organs, the theca 

 of Lichens and that of Fungi, are so essentially different, that they 

 can not properly be compared ; for considering their structure and 

 evolution, they with their spores, stand in a more striking contrast 

 than any other in organic nature." 



