305 



lAmenque du Sud." Mr. Andre, who is an old and valued 

 correspondent of Kew, visited South America, under the auspices 

 of the French Government, for the botanical exploration of the 

 countries named, where he collected assiduously in 1875 and 1876. 

 Of the Bromeliaceae alone he collected 129 species and 14 varieties 

 belonging to 14 genera. No less than 91 of the species are 

 described as new, and seven others, of which only imperfect 

 material was collected, were almost certainly undescribed. The 

 collection also yielded two new genera, namely, Sodiroa and 

 Thecophyllum. Upwards of 70 of the species are more or less 

 fully illustrated ; some only by analyses of the flowers. It may 

 be added that the plain copy, previously possessed by Kew, was 

 presented by Mr. Andre. 



The Cyperaceae of the Philippines.-The Philippine Journal of 

 Science for April, 1907, contains an enumeration of the Philippine 

 Ctjperaceae in the Kew Herbarium by the late Mr. C. B. Clarke. 

 It comprises 127 species belonging to 22 genera, and is not put 

 forward "as complete in any respect." The more important 

 synonymy relating to the Philippines and adjacent lands is given, 

 and there are short notes on the genera and species, which are 

 " not given as sufficient diagnoses, but are intended to be useful 

 to assist collectors in the field." The general distribution of each 

 species follows its distribution in the Philippine Islands. One 

 new species, Mariscus Merrillii, is described. This little con- 

 tribution to cyperology has a melancholy interest as being the 

 last prepared for the press by the author, whose exhaustive 

 monograph of the order still lies in manuscript. 



London Botanic Gardens.— A small volume under this title has 



recently been published by the Wellcome Chemical Research 

 Laboratory. It consists of a reprint of a series of articles con- 

 tributed to the American Journal of Pharmacy by Mr. P. E. F. 

 Perredes in 1905 and 1906. These articles give descriptions of 

 the Chelsea Physic Garden, the Royal Botanic Society's Garden, 

 the Royal Horticultural Society's Garden, and the Royal Botanic 

 Gardens, Kew, regard being had to their scientific and economic 

 functions rather than to any recreative features they may possess. 

 A short but well-informed history of each institution is given, 

 attention being called to the direction in which its influence has 

 been most markedly exerted. Thus the Chelsea Physic Garden 

 and the Royal Botanic Society's Garden are shown to have had the 

 teaching of Botany, particularly in relation to medicine and phar- 

 macy, as their dominant feature, while Kew is said to " stand out 

 prominently as a centre of botanical research, and as the cradle of 

 botanical enterprise in India and the Colonies." 



