122 NOTICES OF BOOKS AND MEMOIES. 



the mycologist), and Geomitra ; there are also three new and 

 remarkable species of Thismia. But the most interesting j)lant 

 here described and figured is Corsia, a new genus, from the north 

 coast of New Guinea, of very anomalous structure. It is a small 

 aphyllous parasite, with a scaly stem bearing a single terminal 

 liower ; the perianth is of six divisions, the upper one forming a 

 large hood, the other five narrow and strap-shaped ; there are six 

 small stamens in two rows ; the ovary is inferior, with three parietal 

 placentas projecting into the centre, and giving the appearance of 

 a trilocular condition ; the style is short and thick, and the stigma 

 3-lobed ; the elongated capsule is 3-valved, and the large fusiform 

 seeds are pendulous on the hardened placentas. The author 

 suggests that Corsia (which is dedicated to the Marquis Bardo Corsi 

 Salviati, of Florence) may form the type of a new Natural Order, 

 Corsiacea, distinct from, though allied to, BurmanniacecB, Hypoxidecb, 

 and Orchidea. _^__^ 



Part 80 of the ' Flora Brasiliensis' (December, 1878) contains 

 the LoheliacecE by A. Kanitz, with 7 plates ; and the Plumbat/inea and 

 Plantar/inecB by J. A. Schmidt, with 2 plates. Part 81 (same date) 

 consists of the Erythroxylacem, by J. Peyritsch, illustrated by 10 

 plates ; the Hypericace(B by H. G. Reichardt, with. 7 plates ; and 

 the Marcgraaviacemhy L. Wittmack, with 12 plates. 



Baron von Mueller's ' Fragmenta Phytogr. Australiae ' has 

 reached its 90th part. A new genus of Composit(B from Western 

 Australia, Decazesia, is dedicated to the Due Decazes, President of 

 the Paris Horticultural Society. 



Dr. Bayley Balfour's account of the Botany of Rodriguez is 

 published in the Royal Society's volume on the Transit of Venus 

 Expedition. It consists of introductory observations on the past 

 histor}^ changes, and present condition of the flora of the island, 

 comparisons with and relationship to the other islands of the 

 Indian Ocean, as well as an account of the remarkable heterophylly 

 of the foliage of many of the trees, to which he has already called 

 attention elsewhere. A complete list of the species composing the 

 flora foUows, including the Cr3^i)togamic ones. The memoii* is 

 illustrated by 22 fine quarto plates, four of which are devoted to 

 mosses and HepaticEe, and the remainder to Phanerogams. The 

 plates are the only addition of importance, as the descrij^tions of 

 the new flowering plants have been already twice published, first in 

 the Journal of the Linnean Society, and then in Baker's ' Flora of 

 Mauritius.' It is necessary to mention this, in consequence of 

 there being no indication of it in the text of the present memou', 

 where Dr. Balfour's discoveries ai)pear as if now published for the 

 first time instead of having been made known to science nearly two 

 years ago. Mr. Crombie's account of the Lichens, here given, 

 was indeed published in 1876. 



The last part of Prof. Baillon's ' Histoire des Plantes ' com- 

 mences the 7tli volume. It contains accounts of ^the Orders 

 Melastomacece, Cornacea, and Unibelliferce. Only eight genera are 



