Imperial Institute of Francg. 383 



great divisions of vetttablts with visible flowers, the cy- 

 cadese could not be far renKived Iroin the palm trees. 



The organization of the male flower of the mosses has 

 been also the subject of the researches of Messrs. Mirbel 

 and Schubert. Alter Htdwig, it would have been difficult 

 to discover anv new facts on ihis subject. But the rupture 

 Cf I he antberae and the emission of the pollen were pbseno- 

 mena which several botanists call in question. Our two bo- 

 tanists assert that they are presented in the most unequivocal 

 manner to our eyes. The orgai s which Hedwig calls males 

 in the pdytrichiim comm'i7ie, placed upon water, are cleft 

 into a beak at their suniinit, and sent out an olciginous li- 

 quor, which extended like a slight cloud over the surface of 

 the licjuid. Messrs, Miibel and Schubert then subniiued 

 comparatively to observation the pollen of a great number 

 of phanerogamous plants, and they saw thai it acted in the 

 .«ame way as the male parts of the mosses : which leads 

 them to believe that those p.irts designated under the name 

 of antherae by Hedwig, might possibly be nothing else than 

 simple grains of naked pdlen of a parlicu'ar form. 



M. Mirbel by himself has continued his inquiries into 

 germination. He remarks, in spite of the opinion generally 

 received, that the radicle does not always tirst come out. 

 for instance, in many cyperaceae it is constantly the plu* 

 mule which first appears. 



The same botantist has thrown new light, with impor- 

 tant modifications and additions, upon his opinions respect- 

 ing the organization of the stalk, their development, and 

 the structure both internal and external of the organs of 

 fecundity in plants. 



M. Henrv de Cassini, the son of one of our members 

 whose name is so well known as an astronomer, has pre- 

 sented to the Class a memoir which aua:urs happ'Iv for his 

 future success in another science. He has examined with 

 particular care the style and the siigmata throughout a 

 whole family of plants well known by the names of com- 

 posites, svngcnesia, or svnantliereae, and organs so incon- 

 siderablt* presented to him a crowd of curious variations, 

 which appeared to him strong enough to lay the foundation 

 of a division ot tbeee plants found'-d solely upon the mo- 

 difications of (hose two parts of the pistil, 



Wc regret that we are unable to follow this accurate ob- 

 server tVirough all the details upon which he has entered, 

 and which he has described and drawn with singular preci- 

 aion : it cannot be doubted that they will one day serve to 

 perfect the classification of this family, which is so nu- 



Vol.41, No. 181. May 1013. Bb nieroui 



