LES OliCIUDlhcs IJ ELHtOPE ET UU EASSIN MKDITERRANEEX 125 



like what we have with O. Fuchsii. There is no examj)le of a cross 

 between G. co)iopsea and Coeloglossii m viride. of which at least three 

 types have been found witli us. Tliere are several other British 

 hybrids not represented, which suggests what a great range of them 

 must actually exist. 



In these days of high prices it requires a good deal of courage to 

 produce a great work of this kind ; and we can only express our 

 gratitude to the authors and the publisher who have made it available 

 for us. 



T. & T. A. S. 



EOOK-NOTES, NEWS, etc. 



At the meeting of the Linnean Society on 16tli February, Prof. II. 

 11. Gates read a paper on " The Inheritance of Flower Size in Plants." 

 He stated that reciprocal crosses were made at Mcrton in 1912 

 between (Enothera ruhricalijx and CE. hiennis, the former having 

 petals about 10 mm. in length and the latter about 20 mm. in length. 

 The size of Howers in F^ was intermediate and relatively uniform. 

 In F2 there was a marked difference in size of flowers, (1) on different 

 plants, (2) in different flowers of the same plant, and (3) sometimes 

 even in the different petals of a flower. More extensive measurements 

 were made on F-.and F4 plants. The results show that the h3q:)othesis 

 of several Mendelian factors for length of petal is an insuflicient 

 explanation. Variation curves show a tendency to segregation in 

 flower-size between different plants, but also a tendency for the 

 occurrence of smaller flowers, some of the smallest petals being only 

 7 mm. in length. The disorderly nature of the variation, and the 

 fact that the petals of one flower may be of different lengths, shows 

 that this segregation is not confined to germ-cell formation, and is 

 not Mendelian. Probably cytoplasmic differences are involved in this 

 ty^Q of inheritance and variation. 



At the same meeting Mr. William Dallimore introduced the 

 subject of the effect produced by wind at Llandudno in causing 

 remarkable dwarflng of trees and shrubs growing on the exposed 

 rocks of the Great Orme's Head, illustrating his remarks by actual 

 specimens and lantern-slides. Mr. Lacaita stated that similar dwarf 

 trees were met with in many places. He had seen them in Spain at 

 an elevation of 6000 feet, and dwarfed Beech-trees were plentiful in 

 Sicily, the chief agent in both instances apparently being the strong 

 winds. It would be very surprising and exceedingly important if it 

 could be proved that such dwarling was due to climatic conditions, 

 Mr. Dallimore replied that one important cause was the poverty of 

 the soil. 



At the meeting of the Linnean Society on March 2, Mr. R. E. 

 Holttum discussed the Flora of Greenland. The writer, who accom- 

 panied Professor Seward during the summer of 1921 on a visit to Disco 

 Island arid the neighbouring parts of the west coast of Greenland, 

 spoke on the flora of the region visited. The most widely-spread 

 vegetation consists of a low heath, the most important species being 



