(one 


1913] CURRENT LITERATURE 513 
solution growth is not entirely inhibited: The non-toxicity of sulphocyanates 
has also been observed by FERNBACH and in extremely dilute solutions by 
SAUTON.3° 
In a short note Kossowicz and Loew? report the availability of sodium 
thiosulphate as a nutrient for a number of yeasts and fungi. Hydrogen 
sulphide, free sulphur, and sulphuric acid are among the products resulting from 
the action of different organisms on the compound.—H. HAssELBRING. 
The leaf-bud of Cordaites.—LIcNIER® has made an intimate study of the 
developing leaves of Cordaites from a portion of a silicified bud from the Ste-. 
phanian of Grand’ Croix (Loire). His piece of material was about 3 cm: 
long and in the matrix immediately around the bud proper and concentric 
with it had adult leaves identical in structure with C. lingulatus of RENAULT. 
He thinks it reasonable to suppose that these were borne on the same branch 
which bore the bud itself, especially since he found these leaves identical in 
structure with the outermost ones of the bud, with the exception of such 
differences as might be due to age. His conclusion that the bud is that of 
C. lingulatus seems beyond reasonable doubt. 
In the young leaves the primordial strands are very small, the bast appear- 
ing to develop first as in living forms. In the older leaves the bast is almost 
always completely destroyed, so that practically nothing was seen of the 
diaphragmatiques,” situated between the bundle sheath and either the body of 
the centripetal or the sides of the arc of centrifugal xylem. The region oc 
cup 
by it may be quite extensive. LrGNrer has not compared the bundle with that 
of cycads, but similar cells do occur in the same region in the cycad bundle, 
especially lateral to the base of the centripetal xylem. 
e sheath consists of several layers of large cells which differentiate early. 
The cells begin to thicken their walls when the xylem consists of only one or 
two tracheids. They are most abundant ordinarily at the sides of the bundle, 
and show certain resemblances to the xylem tissue, to which LIGNIER refers. 
Most, if not all, of their transverse walls are covered with “punctuations 
aréolées” and “serées,” which are larger, however, and more irregular than 
those of the tracheary elements. Those on the longitudinal walls are even 
et ee ee ee 2 
* Rev. Bor. Gaz. 55:86. 1913. 
* Kossowicz, A., und Lorw, W., Vorliufige Mitteilung tiber das eat sre 
Hefen und Schimmelpilzen zu Natriumthiosulfat. Zeitschr. Géarungsphysiol. 4+/" 
1913. 
* Licnter, O., Différenciation des tissus dans le bourgeon végétatif du Cordaites 
lingulatus B. Ren. Ann. Sci. Nat. Bot. IX. 17:233-254- 1913- 
