204 | BOTANICAL GAZETTE [APRIL 
Bulbils and proembryo of Lamprothamnus.—Miss McNicot3! has_ be 
cultivating Lamprothamnus alopecuroides, one of the Characeae, for several 
years, the plants producing an abundant supply of antheridia and oogonia. Ve 
few of the oospores seemed capable of germination, and proembryos produced 
from them resemble those produced from the underground nodes. r th 
most part, reproduction takes place by means of proembryos that are formed on 
the rhizoid-nodes and make use of the starch stored in the tubercles, which arise 
either directly or as transformed rhizoids.—J. M. C 
Semipermeable membrane of grass seeds.— BRowN:? has published a prelimi- 
nary account of a semipermeable membrane which incloses the grain of Hordeum, 
which permits the passage of water and iodin, but prevents the passage of sulfuric 
and hydrochloric acids and all salts of metals examined, when in aqueous solution. 
The semipermeable property is not due to the action of living protoplasm and is 
located in the ‘‘spermoderm” of the grain. The same covering occurs in grains of 
Avena, Triticum, and Secale. If these observations are correct, the ‘‘spermo- 
derm” is a most remarkable structure —J. M. C 
Synapsis and synizesis.—Following McCLUNG, SCHAFFNER33 uses the term 
synizesis to describe the familiar contracted condition of the chromatin usually 
described as synapsis; while he reserves the term synapsis in a very restricted 
sense as applying to the chromatin fusions which take place during the con- 
tracted state. The synizetic knot is not always around or in contact with the 
nucleolus, and while usually lateral it is often central in position. SCHAFFNER’S 
figures show that the synizetic knot has no relation to gravity —CHARLES i; 
CHAMBERLAIN. 
Excentric growth.—UrsprunG* records experiments calculated to throw 
some — on emt cause seg sisi aia of stems. Seedlings of Ricinus fixed 
inah f the hypocotyl, with mechani- 
cal cells in the upper part and large iin outed cells in the lower part. The 
reason for these appearances is not clear, for it has been shown that mere tension, 
such as would result in the present instance from the turgescence of the cells on 
the lower side, does not result in the production of mechanical tissue—M. A. 
CHRYSLER. 
Growth of lignified cell walls.—It is usually assumed that lignified cell 
walls, such as those of tracheids, are incapable of further growth. But this idea 
3t McNicot, Mary, The bulbils and proembryo of Lamprothamnus alopecuroides 
A. Braun. Annals of Botany 21:61-70. pl. 8. 1907. 
3? Brown, A. J., On the existence of a semipermeable membrane enclosing the 
seeds of some of the Gramineae. Annals of Botany 21:79-87. 1907. 
33 SCHAFFNER, J. H., Synapsis and synizesis. Ohio Naturalist 7:41-48. pl. 4- 
1907. 
34 UrsprunG, A., Beitrag zur Erklarung des excentrischen Dichenwachstums 
an Krautpflanzen. Ber. Deutsch. Bot. Gesells. 24:498-5or. 1906 
