74 CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON. 



rapidly than did water. This was doubtless due to an action of the 

 dissolved sugar resulting in the absorption of more radiation than was 

 absorbed by pure water. The dissolved sugar appears to act somewhat 

 like particles of carbon held in suspension. Like a suspension of car- 

 bon, the sugar solution becomes warmer than water similarly exposed 

 when both are in sunshine, and evaporation is markedly less rapid from 

 the water. Whether these points are important in the consideration 

 of foliar transpiration as related to sunshine remains to be determined, 

 but they do not seem to have been mentioned in the literature. 



In connection with the studies mentioned above, the investigation of 

 the principles concerning the influence of solar radiation on evapora- 

 tion was continued by means of blackened and white porous-cup 

 atmometers of several forms (radio-atmometers), pans of water, 

 sugar solution, carbon suspension, etc. Sunshine has long been known 

 to be a very important feature in the control of plant transpiration, 

 but its influence on this plant process has never been adequately 

 studied. The investigation just mentioned is directed toward a 

 quantitative knowledge of the influence of solar radiation on the rate 

 of loss of water vapor from plants. A somewhat thorough discussion 

 of this whole problem is planned for the near future. 



Inheritance of Teratoid Flowers in Diplacus glulinosiis, by Francis E. Lloyd. 



A single plant of the perennial shrub Diplacus glutinosus with 

 teratoid flowers was found growing a short distance from the Coastal 

 Laboratory in 1915. The character of the abnormalities is as follows: 



The sepals were very numerous, and varied from minute subulate 

 bladeless members to narrowly ovate, apiculate, and sometimes 

 downwardly ascidiate and petiolate free sepals; ascending the sup- 

 porting axis they became more and more united to form partial or 

 entire calices, usually split longitudinally, 3- to (and more usually) 

 6-merous. The calices numbered 3 to 4, arranged cone-in-cone 

 fashion, the uppermost usually more or less petaloid. Above these 

 there were generally two corollas, entire or split longitudinally, or 

 instead there was frequently a spiral series involving as many as 

 18 to 21 members, the lowermost being sepaloid, the uppermost 

 petaloid, the whole showing more or less strepsis. Concrescence 

 might also occur between the spiral series and other members, arising 

 either in axillary positions or within, toward the apex of the axis. 



The stamens were usually absent (only one case in 36 afforded two 

 perfectly formed anthers but with almost sterile pollen), and those 

 present were either variously fasciated or displayed partial or com- 

 plete petalody, free or concrescent with the corolla or corolla-spiral; 

 or, again, some degree of pistillody was observed. The pistil was 

 either single and normal or nearly normal, or it might show duplica- 

 tion, with quadrilocular ovary, or it might be monocarpellary, v/ith 



