290 PHYSIOLOGICAL BOTANY. 



I had an opportunity of observing caprification in Portugal, 

 and in the account of my travels I have stated that capri- 

 fication exerts no influence upon impregnation. How- 

 ever, many varieties become larger and more beautiful 

 when they are pierced by this minute CynifSJi, as is very 

 truly stated in the Memoir No. 5. 



In the 'Thuringian Horticultural Gazette/ Nos.l and 2, 

 Prof. Bernhardi treats of Bastard Forms. He now con- 

 siders that the so-called bastard forms of the genus 

 Gymnogramwa (Ceropteris] might arise, not from impreg- 

 nation, but from the coalescence of the roots with each 

 other, because they germinate in hot-houses in numbers 

 together. As an instance, he mentions a plant of Cytisus 

 Adami, which was produced by grafting C. purpureus 

 upon C. alpinus, whereby a hybrid was produced, which 

 frequently assumed the characters of a bastard, and often 

 returned to its primitive conditions, at one time producing 

 purple, at another yellow flowers. This is remarkable 

 enough, and is the first instance of the formation of 

 bastards in this manner. 



FRUIT. SEEDS. GERMINATION. 



Memoir upon the Development and Characters of true 



Ji -L / 



and false Arils. By J. E. PLANCHON. Montpellier, 1844. 

 An excellent contribution to our knowledge of the 

 changes undergone by the seeds in their young state. 

 First, a history of the meaning of the word aril. Then 

 an investigation of the nucleus in Passiftora. Since, in 

 this instance, an expansion of the umbilical cord is not 

 formed until after impregnation, as it is only connected 

 with the seed by means of the external umbilical aperture 

 (hilum), and at the opposite end is widely open, since, 

 therefore, this structure agrees with the generally admitted 

 notion of the word aril, the author denominates it a true 

 aril. The aril of Euonymus latifolius is very different, 

 although it agrees with the former in many particulars. 



