303 SHORT NOTES AND QUKKIKS. 



seen in Motwtropa, its parasitism must remain a tlieory only, and not an 

 observed fact. On the other hand, with tlie strong presumption of its 

 partisitism which the hal)it and appearance of tlie plant warrant, Professor 

 Babington's statement (' Manual,' 61h ed. p. 220), "not parasitical," 

 seems to require something more to siipport it than the negative evidence 

 hitherto adduced. Successful cultivation of Moiiotrupa as a non-parasiti- 

 cal phmt would be perhaps as nearly positive evidence as the nature of the 

 case would admit of, but as far as records go, this has not been done.* 

 Has Neottia Nidus-atis, to which Monolrupa has much likeness, been 

 cnltivated r 



Whether the apparent radicular fibres of Monotropa are fungi or not, 

 is a question which 1 caunot enter upon fidly, but it may be observed that 

 of the four "byssoid fungi " described by Mr. llylands, only one is stated 

 to be found " on Monotropa root generally," each of the other three being 

 allocated to T^\a.\iis,oi Monotropa found in diH'erent places. Also that it is 

 only the former one that is said to possess the colour which seems to be 

 the common characteristic of the fibre — " brown ;" the others being re- 

 spectively described as " colourless," " peliucid white," and " pellucid 

 straw-colour." Is it probable that a plant whose roots were so entirely 

 covered with a fungus could exist, or at least flourish and propagate ? 



[Mr. Stratton's experience is that of all botanists who have investi- 

 gated the question. Unger, Graves, Du Ciiartre, Guillard, Schacht, and 

 Chatin have all failed to detect the slightest organic connection between 

 adult Monotropa and the roots of any otiier plant. Chatin, however, in 

 his beautiful ' Anatomic Coniparee des Vegetaux," has described and 

 figured (' Piantes Parasites,' p. 257 and t. 52) a young individual attached 

 to a ligneous root by a true perforating vascular cone, exactly as in Oro- 

 banclie, and he suggests that, at least when reproduced by germination, 

 Monotropa may commence life as a parasite. Unger (Ann. d. Wien. Mus. 

 Bd. 2) thought that the plant lived ou substances exuded by the roots 

 amongst which it grows and with which its own are so intimately inter- 

 laced. Many botanists consider Monotropa a parasite in the sense of living 

 on dead or decomposed vegetable matter, like Fungi. The subject cannot 

 be considered settled. — H. T.] 



SHORT NOTES AND QUERIES. 



A New Genus of GEKTiAN.\CF.iE. — In vol. xxxix. of the 'Journal 

 of the Asiatic Society of Bengal,' Mr. S. Kurz has published a full de- 

 scription, Avith plate, of the plant from Western Thibet, which i)e shortly 

 defined in this Journal (Vol. V. }). 241), under the name of Gentiana 

 JcESchkei (by accident spelt IWschkei). Mr. Kurz had originally con- 

 sidered it to form a new genus, but Professor Grisebach, to whom frag- 

 ments Avere submitted (see note to the description I.e.'), placed it in the 

 Anutrdla section of Gentiana. Further examination has confirmed Mr. 

 Kurz in his own opinion, and he now describes the genus Jceschkea, the 

 species being renamed /. (jeutianoides. The chief character is found in 

 the position of the filaments which are " actually terminal between tlie 



* M. tniifora, L., a N. American species, has been cnltivated in the botanic 

 garden of Glasgow in leaf-mould, according to Sir W. Hooker, quoted bv Chatin. 

 (II. T.) 



