225 



contradiction to the results of von Hoelinel, who holds that in all 

 suberous lamellae some cellulose may be found. 



Von Wisselingh says that on warming the cork lamellae in 

 glycerine, thus freeing the suberine, no cellulose can be discovered 

 m the residuum. After treating these lamellae with chromic acid, 

 or warming in caustic potash, then adding chlor-iodide of zinc, 

 they take a violet color. He says the principal constituents of 

 cork lamellae are certain chemical compounds which are very like 

 essential oils in their nature, and which, taken together, may be 

 termed suberin. The substance known as cutin is very like this 



• * 



in Its reactions, but is not identical with it. The different com- 

 pounds of which suberin consists are quite different in respect to 

 their action, when treated with caustic potash or other strong 

 reagents. For example, after a long treatment with such reagents, 

 by pressing lightly on the cover-glass, the lamellse break up into 

 small round bodies, which he says consists of suberin, so also the 

 substance which held these together in the lamellae, but which has 



now been dissolved out by the action of the reagents ; in case 

 potash has been used, soap is formed. The leaf-hke structure of 

 the cork lamellae, he claims, may be seen from the fact that the 

 soluble substance which in its normal condition serves to hold the 

 httle round bodies together, may be injured much more easily in 

 the tangential than in the radial direction. E. L. G. 



Berlin, Germany, July 5, 1889. 



Botanical Notes, 



Cladosporiiim epibryiun, Cooke and Alassec (Grevillea, xvii. 



761). 



J 



B. Leiberg on capsules oi Leersia rhabdocarpa, Bartratnia po)ni- 



fc 



M 



ovata and infested all my specimens of Ulota phyllantha collected 

 by Thos. Howell In fact this was the cause of the delay in pub- 

 lishing the description and figures of the fruit of this species, as 

 the capsules were encircled by a series of black horns which also 

 disfigured the base and the operculum, while the teeth were matted 

 together by the mycelial threads. M. Cardot had more perfect 

 material and I am glad to have learned that his discovery was 



