( 





4 



1907] CURRENT LITERATURE 395 



A bacterial rot of the tomato is also described in this bulletin. The bacteria 

 were isolated from tomatoes which showed no sign of fungus growth. They were 

 cultivated in pure culture and when reinoculated into the tomato fifty out of a 

 total of sixty-seven inoculations produced the characteristic disease. There are 



Fusarium 



Stevens 



Root tubers of Dioscorea. — Some years ago Queva described the vegetative 

 organs of certain species of Dioscorea, and reached the conclusion that the tuberous 

 body which occurs at the end of some of the roots represents an organ which has 

 changed its nature from root to "something else." The matter^was taken up by 

 GoEBEL, who explains this peculiar body as an organ whose morphology lies 

 between a shoot and a root. A much more simple and more natural explanation 

 has recently been offered by Liptoinger/^ who has studied D. discolor, and 

 concludes that the roots do not change their morphological nature, but their 



functi 



ion. 



portion 



former fimctionin 



both 



which is also able to produce root-shoots. 



regions is discussed, and it is interesting to notice that in the tuberous part the 



mestome strands are not arranged in a circle; that the inner mestome strands are 



collateral; and that, at least in some 



differentiated.— Theo. Holm. 



porti 



Secretory organs of Menispermaceae. — According to Mahe 



with 



Ducts with 



tannin 



ima 



They are tubes of 



length 



4 



and are characteristic of certain species of Anamirta, Cocculus, Cissampelos, 

 Burasaia, Calicocarpum, etc. Ducts with caoutchouc are known only in Tinomis- 

 cium, being found in all the vegetative organs as follows: in the stem, around 

 the sclerenchymatic arches of the pericycle and in the pith; in the leaf, in midrib 

 and petiole around the mestome strands. They are tubular and very thin walled. 

 The latex is white and granulose, readily soluble in chloroform, but only partiy 

 so in absolute alcohol and ether. The secretory cells, observed only in Abuta 

 rujescens, and containing an essence, abound in the stem near the sclerenchy- 

 matic pericyle on its outer and inner face. — Theo. Holm. 



A Linnean herbarium.— Although the herbarium of Linnaeus went to London 

 after his death, several other collections made by him and his pupils remained in 

 Sweden, but have not been accessible until recently- In fact, it was not known 



LiJTDEMGER, Leonhard, Ueber den morphologischen 



•UE 



■Arten. Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 21:311. 1907- 

 ,00 cA^rAtf^m-G H^c "\ff^n)Qnprniac^es. Bull. See. 



Bot. France 53:651. 1906. 



