238 Botanical Society of Edinburgh. 



Dr. Parnell, Curator of the Museum ; Mr. J. M'Nab, Artist ; Mr. 

 Evans, Assistant Secretary and Curator. 



Jan. 13, 1848. — The Rev. Dr. Fleming, President, in the Chair. 



Among specimens of Portuguese plants presented to the Society 

 by Sir Walter C. Trevelyan, were some marked as having been col- 

 lected in the streets of Cadiz and Lishon, viz. Frankenia pulverulenta, 

 lllecebrum echinatum, and Hippia stolonifera ; these plants are re- 

 markable for their habit of flourishing in the interstices of the paving 

 stones of much-frequented thoroughfares, but growing so close to the 

 ground that they are but little injured by the feet of passengers. The 

 collection also contained specimens of Stutice lusitanicu from Per- 

 soon's locality. 



The following communications were read : — 



1. "On the Reproduction of Cryptogamic Plants," by the late 

 William Stark Dougall, Esq., continued. Part second : Mode of 

 formation of spores in Fungi, Lichens, Musci, and Hepaticae. In this 

 part of the paper the author first considered the reproductive organs 

 in the various divisions of the natural order Fungi, and pointed out 

 the analogy which they bear to Alga in many respects. Thus in the 

 lower members of the order the mode of reproduction may be com- 

 pared to that observed in Confervacecc, both as regards the develop- 

 ment of spores and their movement. In other cases the formation of 

 spores at the dilated ends of filaments or sterigmata resembles in some 

 degree what takes place in Vaucheria. He regarded the filamentous 

 paraphyses as being concerned in the fertilization of the contents of 

 the asci and basidia. 



He next noticed the natural order Lichenes, and considered the 

 production of spores, whether naked or in asci, which are united 

 in the form of apothecia ; and of the round green bodies called go- 

 nidia or gongyli, which are either single or in groups. He stated 

 that little was known in regard to the formation of the latter bodies, 

 and that the subject of reproduction in Lichens was still very obscure ; 

 although it might be said to resemble that of some Ascomycetous 

 Fungi. 



The Ricciacece, Marchantiacece, and Jungermanniacecs were next 

 brought under notice. In these orders, organs which appear to be 

 equivalent to stamens and pistils were pointed out, as well as cer- 

 tain bodies which might be reckoned as buds or gemmae. The pre- 

 sence of phytozoa with cilia and of spiral fibres or elaters was also 

 remarked. 



The Equisetacece were looked upon as in many respects allied to 

 the last-mentioned orders, especially in developing spores with spiral 

 filaments. 



The true Mosses were then alluded to, and in them the author 

 believed that i - eproductive organs have been demonstrated in the 

 aniheridia with their granular contents and phytozoa, and the theac 

 or sporangia with their spores. He detailed the various species in 

 which phytozoa had been detected by Thuret, Brongniart, Meyen, 

 and Unger, pointed out the monoecious, dioecious, polygamous, and 



