now ARE PLANTS AWARE OF TIME? 121 



the worst weatlier of the year, it insists on growing, evidently with all 

 the vigour it can bring to bear, while in much more iavourable 

 weather it is perfectly quiescent. It has no encouragement what- 

 ever, and is growing apparently only bt^cause it is the time of growth 

 in South Africa. Many would sa}^ "of course," and pass the matter 

 over, but 1 think there is here a mystery that no one has attem[)ted 

 to explain — so far as I remember. It is notorious that plants do 

 flower at the right time according to calendar rather than at the right 

 season according to physical conditions, so much so that none marvel ; 

 indeed, it is the sole explanation why we have various j^lants in tlower 

 when they are the most valuable, and growth, too, at a fixed time is 

 often one of the great difficulties of cultivation. 



There are, however, various things to observe which require some 

 explanation. It would be thought, for instance, that there would be 

 foi'getfulness in the dormant seed, so that a seedling raised in this 

 country would readily accommodate itself to seasons of the English 

 climate, corresponding with those of its natural home. If it does 

 this in some cases, it does not in numerous instances I have in mind. 

 I believe I am correct in stating that seedlings of Aloe raised from 

 an imported packet of seed, which may have been sown at any time 

 of the year, would in every case flower when the plant Rowers 

 in South Africa, i. e., according to calendar, pa^dng no regard what- 

 ever to corresponding seasons in this country. Moreover, I believe 

 that English -grown seed would result in the same wa3^ I have had 

 various experiences of this kind, but, obviously, it is not the kind of 

 thing that one could carry very far in experiment. 



For many years I have had my mind upon this subject, but I 

 cannot say that I have anj fixed theory, though, as shown by 

 Sir Francis Dai'win, rhythmic action can sometimes be very wonder- 

 ful in plant life. As an example, the case of Dandelion stalk just 

 now occurs to me. If laid horizontally it naturally tm-ns up ; if, 

 however, it is turned the other way after a sufficient interval of time 

 by a klinostat it reverses, and if then the klinostat is made to turn 

 at the same interval of time, the turning first one way and then the 

 other by this Dandelion stem becomes automatic, and if the klinostat 

 is finally stopped, nevertheless the Dandelion stem continues to turn 

 first one way and then the other at the correct interval of time. 

 What then may not be induced in the habit of a ])lant if ages of 

 repeating seasons take the place of the klinostat? I am aware, of 

 course, that there are instances of accommodation to climate, as, for 

 instance, I believe, the change of the flowering season in the case of 

 Australian Acacias planted in India. 



SHOKT NOTES. 



Coleosporium Narcissi, sp. n. 



II. Soris uredosporiferis amphigenis, parcis, ovalibus, planis^ 

 ■|-1 mm. (vel amplius) longis, sparsis v. in greges parvos digestis, 

 pallidis, marginatis, diu epidermide tectis ; uredosporis ovali-oblongis- 

 vel subinde obovoideis, pallide luteis, dense verruculosis, 25-30 X 

 15-lS /x, in catenas breves pedieello clavato suffultas compositis. 



