412 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



New Family of Lichens.* — A. Elenkin describes a new lichen, 

 Saccomorpha arenicola, which he makes the type of a new family, Sacco- 

 morphacese. It was found on dune-sands near to St. Petersburg. The 

 gonidia are Stigomena alga?, and the filaments of the alga are surrounded 

 by brownish fungus-hyphse, which at length completely enclose them 

 as in a kind of sack, finally causing their disorganization. The 

 different "sacks" are united by hyphal filaments, on which are seated 

 apothecia and pycnidia. Elenkin compares the new genus and family 

 with Ephebace^ and with Placynthium among the Pannariaceae, but 

 considers it different from either. Parasitism is, he considers, strongly 

 in evidence, and there is evidently a primitive relationship between the 

 two lichen constituents. 



Nature and Classification of Lichens. f — Bruce Fink contributes a 

 study of lichen gonidia and lichen hyphse, discussing their origin and 

 development, and the views held concerning them by successive research 

 workers. He dwells especially on the relation between algse and hyphae, 

 and concludes that the latter are parasitic. He thus considers lichens as 

 fungi parasitic on algse, though some algal individuals not yet parasitized 

 may be found in most lichen thalli. A copious bibliography is added. 



Epiphyllous Lichens. J — R. Chodat found, in the neighbourhood of 

 the Lake of Geneva, box-leaves on which lichens were growing. The 

 locality was extremely moist. A Parmelia had passed from the trunk of 

 the tree to the leaves ; Gatillaria Bouteillei, the well-known species on 

 box-leaves, was also present, and, in addition, a sjjecies of Strigida. The 

 latter genus has not hitherto been found in Europe ; it was, in this 

 instance, associated with Fhycopeltis epiphytica, and had burrowed below 

 the cuticle of the leaf, which tried to defend itself by forming a periderm. 

 No fruits were formed, so the species could not be determined. The 

 lichen was injurious to the leaf. 



Lichens of Mount Rose, Nevada. § — A. AV. C. T. Herre has examined 

 the lichen-flora of this mountain, which rises to a height of 10,800 ft. 

 For a large part of the year snow lies on the upper part of the peak. 

 Corticolous lichens are entirely absent, owing, Herre thinks, to the 

 enormous velocity of the winds, which carry sand, dust, or fine hard 

 snow, so that the bark of the trees is perpetually abraded by the flying 

 material. Soil-lichens were also wanting, probably on account of exces- 

 sive dryness, etc. Xo trace of alpine genera such as Gladonia^ Stereo- 

 caulon, /Solorin'a, or Cetraria has yet been found. Gyrophora reticulata, 

 Acarospora ddorophana, and Lecidia atrolnunnea were among the 

 dominant species. Galoplaca elegans was also very common. One new 

 species is described. 



* Ber. Biol. Susswasserstat. Nat. Ges. St. Petersburg, iii. (1912) pp. 174-206 

 (1 pi.). See also Mycol. Centralbl., ii. (1913) pp. 278-9. 



t Mycologia., v (1913) pp. 97-165. 



i Bull. Soc. Bot. Geneve, ser. 2, iv. (1912) p. 246. See also Mycol. Centralbl. 

 ii. (1913) pp. 279-80. § Bot. Gaz., Iv. (1913) pp. 392-6. 



