Nov. 1890.] BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 5 



Amongst Oleaceae, the stereome-network of Olca europsea, 

 which is absent in all other species examined, and the 

 stagshorn-like ideoblasts of Olea ilicifolia, Phillyrea latifolia, 

 P. ovata, P. decora and Osmanthus iUcifolius, which are 

 absent in Olea europsea and in the species of Chionanthus 

 and Notanea examined. Amongst Ternstrcemiaces&, both the 

 stellate and the stagshorn-like ideoblasts of Camellia japonica, 

 of which the former are alone present in Camellia axillaris, 

 and the latter alone are present in TJiea Bohea. 



The Floeal Steucture of Tacca cristata, Jack. By 

 John Wilson, D.Sc, Curator of the Herbarium and Library, 

 Eoyal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. 



Dr Wilson stated that the structure of the style and 

 stigma led him to consider that the fertilisation of this 

 plant was effected by ants, and not, as Delpino suggested, 

 in the same way as in Aspidistra. 



On Temperature and Vegetation in the Eoyal Botanic 

 Garden, during July, August, September, and October 

 1890.* By Robert Lindsay, Curator of the Garden. 



JULY. 



The weather during July was extremely cool and un- 

 settled. The lowest night temperature was 40°, which occurred 



* It has been the practice for many years of the Curator of the Royal 

 Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, to record in the Society's Transactions the condi- 

 tion from month to month of vegetation in the garden, and to refer to the 

 temperature and weather noted in the garden during the month. The 

 temperature and weather records have not professed strict accuracy, tempera- 

 ture having been always taken from exposed thermometers not marking 

 fractions of a degree, without correction, and fixed in a position where they 

 could readily be tampered with. These reports, while they have served a 

 useful purpose in directing attention to relationship between temperature and 

 vegetation, and have contributed to the interest of the monthly meetings 

 of the Society, are evidently wanting as trustworthy records upon which 

 scientific deductions could be based, and for purposes of comparison and in 

 order to obtain, if possible, an approximate estimate of the import of the past 

 records, there will be published for a time, along with the notes of the Curator 

 on vegetation, a table of readings for the month of the exposed thermometers, 

 as well as the monthly register of meteorological phenomena, which is now 

 carefully taken from certified instruments erected in the garden, —Isaac 

 Bayley Balfour, Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. 



