2 . botanical gazette. [January, 



bacteroids remain unchanged even after disorganization and pateifitttjOD 

 of the tubercles has occurred. The relation between the fungus and the 

 host he considers one of symbiosis. 



Voigt has recently published his researches on the growth ^and 

 development of seeds with ruminated endosperm belonging to hel^ 

 Myristicacese and Anonacese of Java. Among the, Palms he d stinguishes 

 two cases: (a) wiih the prolongations of the seed-coats cylindrical, with- 

 out connection with the' fibro vascular bundle cf the .tMta, begmmns £» 



or before fertilization ; (b) with the prolongate . plate-like, or when Mess 



developed, swellings or ridges of greater or less breadth, inserted over 

 the fibro vascular bundle of the testa and receiving twigs from it. in 

 Mvristica fragrans the ovule has two integuments, but the jn ner ro ™™ 

 oiilv the upper part of the ovule. Soon after the opening of the flowers 

 most of the tissues of these integuments and the nm-ellus passes over mto 

 permanent tissue, onlv the lower part of the outer integument and tne 

 lower part of ihe nucellus remaining meristematic. In the base ot tne 



nucellus. which grows verv rapidly after fertilization, an outer layer (next 



the outer integument) and an inner layer (next the embryo sac) become 

 permanent ti up, the former finally forming part of the testa, in inis 



permanent tissue, the iormer finally tormina pan 01 un- ubw *" — 



first men ioned layer a much branched vascular system develops con- 

 nected with the vascular bundle of the rhaphe. Over the twigs oi una 



vascular svstem arise projections which push themselves inwards d< piv 

 into the endosperm. In Anonacf se the plates producing the " rumination 

 arise in four vertical rows bv local growth of the outer integument. J^acn 

 plate is thin and quadrant-shaped, with the central angle rounded une 

 of each row stands at the same height. A fuller abstract will be tounci 

 in the Botanisches Centralblatt, xxxvi, 1344. 



Dr. J. H. Wakker has an important paper in the final part of the 

 nineteenth volume of Pringsheim's Jahrbuoher, entitled, " Studien uher 

 die Inhaltskorper der Pflanzenzelle." The following translation ot Ins 

 summary of results will give an idea of the scope of the paper : 



"Calcium oxalate crystals which are found inside the plant cell are 

 formed exclusively in the vacuoles. The dragging of the crystals around 

 bv the movements of the plasma does not conflict with this fact L b ^" 

 cause in this case the vacuole divides and a smaM vacuole surrounds eacti 

 crystal]. Aleurone grains are vacuoles filled with proteids. By he dry- 

 ing of ripening seeds the proteids become solidified, and by the softening 

 which precedes germination the reverse takes place. In the formation 

 of seeds the originally single vacuole divides into many, and in germina- 

 tion the reverse occurs, so that the emptied cells of the erminated seed 



again contain a single central vacuole. The proteids dissolved in the 

 cell sap of ripening and germinating seeds can be precipitated by several 

 reagents, viz. : dilute nitric acid, absolute alcohol, salt solutions, etc. By 

 using these substances one can follow, step by step, the slow disappear- 

 ance of the proteids in seeds kept in the dark. Globoid- are formed in 

 the vacuoles. Crystalloids can be formed in different places, viz. : in the 

 vacuoles, the plasma, the nuclei or the plastids. Fixed oil is always 

 formed in the plasma; either in specialized bodies (eluioplasts). or dis- 

 tributed through the plasma as in seeds. Plasma, during plasmolysis, can 

 be perforated without causing its death." 



It will be observed that this paper, together with that of V nt, on 

 the origin of vacuoles, in the preceding part of the same publication (see 

 this journal, xiii, 280), extend our knowledge of the vacuole enormously, 

 and show that it is much m< re than a ppaee in the protoplasm formed 

 by its inability to keep up with the growth of the cell wall 



