220 SUMMARY OF CQKRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Life-history of Fossombronia cristula.— Arthur W. Haupt {Bot. 

 Gaz., 1920, 69, 318-31, 6 pis. and fig.)- This paper is summarized as 

 follows : — 1. The vegetative bodv of F. cristula consists of a minute, 

 creeping, rather profusely branched thallus which bears genuine leaves 

 in two dorsal rows. 2. The apical cell is dolabrate. Branching is 

 strictly apical. 3. The plants are monoecious, the sex organs occurring 

 in the axes of the leaves, xintheridia and archegonia may occur in the 

 same leaf axis, and there is no time relation in the order of their appear- 

 ance. They originate from the immediate segments of the apical cell, 

 and their development is strictly acropetal. 4. The antheridia develop 

 according to the usual method found among the anacrogynous Junger- 

 manniales. Variations occur in the order of appearance of the walls in 

 the primary stalk cell. 5. Until the appearance of the first vertical 

 wall young archegonia cannot be distinguished from young antheridia. 

 The first transverse division in the archegonium initial separates tho 

 stalk cell from the archegonium proper, and subsequent development 

 follows the usual Jungermanniales type. The cover cell is inactive, 

 six to eight neck canal cells are formed, and the venter is two cells thick 

 before fertilization. The archegonium is of an advanced type. 6. The 

 early divisions of the embryo are transverse, both halves of the fertilized 

 Qgg contributing to the development of the foot, seta and capsule. A 

 calyptra, three to four cells in thickness, is formed. 7. The sporogenous 

 tissue is differentiated rather early in the history of the sporophyte. 

 The elaters are rudimentary, and each is homologous with a single spore 

 mother-cell, not with a row of them. 8. The sporophyte is primitive. 



A. G. 



Studies in some East Indian Hepaticae : Calohryum Blumei 

 N. ab E.— D. H. Campbell {Ann. of Bot., 1920, 34, 1-12, 1 pi. and 

 figs.). An account of the morphology and reproduction of Oalohnjian. 

 The conclusion is reached that Calobryum and Haplomitrium, although 

 differing in certain particulars (e.g. the position of the archegonia), are 

 closely related and constitute a special family, Calobryaceae ; but their 

 relationships with the other Hepaticae are very obscure. Goebel ranges 

 them in a series independent of the other foliose Hepaticae. The 

 development of leaves has evidently occurred in several quite independent 

 series among the Liverworts ; and the Calobryacese probably represent 

 the end of such a series, and are not closely related to the foliose Junger- 

 manniales. Whether they are most nearly related to the anacrogynous 

 Jungermanniales, or have been derived from forms more like the 

 Sphasrocarpales, is a question. The character of the sporophyte, with 

 its single layer of wall-cells, would suggest the latter hypothesis. The 

 author suggests the establishment of a special order, Calobryales, 

 co-ordinate with the SphiL^ocarpales, Marchantiales and Jungermanniales. 

 The present distribution of Calobryum suggests that the genus was 

 formerly more generally distributed. A. G. 



Gemmse of Tortula mutica Lindb. — B. Muriel Bristol {Ann. of 

 Bot., 1920, 34, 137-9, figs.). Gemma} have been recorded for only 17 

 out of the 620 odd species recorded in Braithwaite's " British Moss 



