342 



Report of the Botanical Proceedings of the British Association for 



the Advancement of Science.'^ 



(Contiuued from page 292). 



Dr. Cleghorn, in answer to a question from Dr. Lankester, gave 

 a short account of the destruction that is now going on in the forests 

 of Isonandra gutta, the plant which yields the gutta percha. The 

 extent of these forests is at present unknown ; but the present pro- 

 cess of collecting the gum renders it highly probable that the supply 

 of this article may be very considerably diminished. 



Prof Allman exhibited a monstrosity of the common wallflower 

 [Cheiranthus C/teiri), in which the stamens were converted into car- 

 pels ; and from some points in the structure of these metamorphosed 

 stamens, he gathered the inference that the stigmas of the Cruciferae 

 were composed of the union of the two half- stigmas of a normally two- 

 horned stigma. 



'On some Facts tending to show the probability of the Conver- 

 sion of Asci into Spores in certain Fungi ; by the Rev. M. J. Berke- 

 ley and Mr. C. E, Broome.'' The species of plants which afforded 

 the materials for the remarks of the authors were the following : — 

 1. Tympanis saligna, Tode ; 2. Sphaeria inquinans, Tode ; 3. Hen- 

 dersonia mutabilis, Berkeley 8^ Broome. In the first instance a spe- 

 cimen of the T. saligna produced both sporidiferous asci and naked 

 spores from the same hymenium. In the second case the Sphaeria 

 was found growing together in the same matrix with the Stilbospora 

 macrosperma, the two plants having a common orifice for the emis- 

 sion of their sporidia and spores. In the third case a specimen of 

 H. mutabilis exhibited two cells containing different bodies, each 

 having the character of spores. 



Dr. J. Hooker stated, that from his examination of the Laminariae 

 of the Antarctic Expedition, he had no doubt that an ascus might be 

 converted into spores. The examination of this subject was fraught 

 with interest to the botanist, and he hoped fujther observations would 

 be made. 



' On a Monstrosity of Lathyrus odoratus discovered in the Garden 

 of John King, Esq. ; by Dr. Lankester.' In this specimen the papi- 

 lionaceous petals were reduced to mere scales, the calyx were regular, 

 and the stamens assumed the condition in which they are found in 



* Extracted from the ' Botanical Gazette ' for September. 



