ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 329 



splitting may be the work of small animals, which wound the growing 

 point of young plants. This division of the lamina occurs more com- 

 monly in England than in Austria. 



Sporangial Trichomes.* — E. J. Durand writes a note on trichomic 

 outgrowths which occur on the sporangia of certain ferns, arising from 

 the lateral walls near the annulus. He found them first on the sporangia 

 of Dryopteris thelypteris, and was thus led to examine herbarium speci- 

 mens representing about 200 species, both native and exotic. Of these 

 15 were found to possess sporangial trichomes, and the names of these 

 species are given. Sporangial trichomes occur only in such ferns as 

 have similar trichomes on the surface of the frond. It is suggested 

 that the sporangial trichomes may be protective, since they exist most 

 commonly in non-indusiate species. The author notes also that he has 

 seen a branch arising from the stalk of a developing sporangium in 

 Pteris cretica, which appeared in all respects similar to that figured for 

 Dryopteris JiUx-mas in the text-books. 



Allantodia.f — M. Raciborski has studied the genus Attantodia, having 

 collected material in Java. Sections of the young sporophylls show that 

 the indusium is not, as Christ and Diels state, attached all round, but on 

 one side only, and, arching right over the sorus and bending inwards, 

 protects the sporangia from below also. The author, having compared 

 the spores with those of other Asplenioid genera, finds their structure to 

 be of value only as specific, and not as generic, characters. With 

 reference to the spines and hooks on certain spores, these occur especially 

 in species which inhabit the precipitous walls and dripping rocks of 

 mountain gorges. According to individual views, Attantodia either falls 

 into a comprehensive Asplenium, or at least into Aihyrium, but if this 

 latter also be broken up, then Attantodia takes generic rank, having 

 Hemidictyon as a synonym. 



Botrychium.f — G-. E. Davenport maintains the identity of American 

 and European plants of Botrychium matricaricefolium A. Br., giving 

 photographs of a number of specimens to confirm his argument. In a 

 similar way he shows B. neglectum "Wood to be identical with B. matri- 

 caricefolium var. subintegrum Milde. Next as to B. ramosum, which 

 Ascherson founded on Osmunda ramosa Roth., and which is generally 

 considered to be synonymous with B. matricaricefolium, Davenport shows 

 by abundant citations from old literature, that B. ramosum Asch. does 

 not equal Osmunda ramosa Roth., for this latter is clearly a synonym of 

 Botrychium Lunaria. Finally, Davenport traces out the early history 

 of B. matricaricefolium from pre-Linnean times. C. A. Weatherby§ 

 describes an extreme form of Botrychium virginianum found in Con- 

 necticut ; it is 2 ft. 3 in. high, and bears three fertile spikes. 



Cheilanthes Szovitsii.|| — R. Pampanini discusses the history, dis- 

 tribution, and presence in Italy of this species. It was first found on 



* Fern Bull., xiv. (1906) pp. 20-1. 



+ Rozp. Akad. Umiej. Krakowie, v. (1905) pp. 166-72. 



X Fern Bulletin, xiv. (1906) pp. 11-19 (2 pis.). 



§ Rhodora, viii. (1906) pp. 47-8. 



|| Nuov. Giorn. Bot. Ital., xiii. (1906) pp. 139-57. 



