224 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 



sionally shows complete female flowers in the lowest node or 

 nodes. These flowers become pollinated. Their occurrence no 

 doubt explains earlier references to the presence of fertile seeds 

 on the "male" spikes. One of the complete female flowers in 

 this position possessed four envelopes, the outermost of which 

 bore an axillary bud. The two envelopes which stand between 

 the outermost and the innermost are interpreted as being derived 

 by duplication from the normal middle envelope. In its vascular 

 supply and other characters, the axis of the " male " spike of 

 G. Gnemon resembles that of G. scandens, and differs from those 

 of the West African species. The microspore- mother-cell is 

 4-chambered. The pollen-grains in the micropyle contain either 

 two or three apparently free nuclei. In the nucellus of the 

 female flower the " pavement tissue " described by Coulter for 

 G. Gnemon is formed also in G. africanum. Lotsy's account of 

 the appearance of a cellular endosperm in the chalazal end of the 

 sac of G. Gnemon before fertilization is true for G. africanum and 

 confirmed for G. Gnemon. In G. africanum the nuclei of these 

 cells are all formed by fusion, as in Welwitscliia. The fusing 

 nuclei appear to be both morphologically and physiologically 

 equivalent to the free gametes of the micropylar end of the 

 sac. The primary endosperm is therefore homologous with that 

 of Wehvitschia. Seasons for regarding it as morphologically 

 different from the prothallus of Ephedra and the lower gymno- 

 sperms are discussed. 



The latest number (xlii. 286, July 14) of the Journal of the 

 Linnean Society (Botany) contains a monograph of the African 

 species of Crotalaria, by Mr. E. G. Baker. For the purpose of 

 his paper, Mr. Baker has visited the Herbaria at Paris, Brussels, 

 and Berlin, and from these, in addition to the collections in the 

 Kew and National Herbaria, he has obtained material which has 

 brought up the number of African species to 309, of which 76 

 were previously undescribed. "Of these novelties, 9 belong to 

 the section Simplicifoliae, 21 to the Sphoerocarpae, 1 to the 

 Spinosae, 45 to Eucrobalaria." The paper, which is accompanied 

 by six plates, bears testimony to the great strides that have been 

 made in our knowledge of African botany since the pubHcation of 

 the Flora Capensis (1861) and the Flora of Tropical Africa (1871) 

 in which 106 and 24 species are respectively enumerated. 



The collection of drawings of South African flora and fauna 

 made by Eobert Jacob Gordon, of which some account was given 

 on p. 75, has been purchased by a committee in Holland, formed 

 for the purpose, at the price of £1250. The drawings wall be 

 placed in one of the State museums. 



The Beport of the Watso7i Botanical Exchange Club for 1912- 

 13 has reached us ; we hope to give some extracts from it in an 

 early issue. 



The Editor wishes it to be understood that he does not concur 

 in the views as to nomenclature expressed by Dr. Moss in his 

 paper on Alsine (pp. 196-201). 



