CURRENT LITERATURE 
BOOK REVIEWS 
Anisophylly 
A monograph on this subject has been prepared by Ficpor,' privat-docent in 
plant physiology in the University of Vienna. It is inspired by WIESNER, the 
distinguished physiologist of that university, and is dedicated to him. Naturally 
enough it is dominated by his views, and is interspersed with quotations from his 
writings. Ficpor has gathered together what is at present known regarding 
anisophylly and has presented (critically, he says) the subject from both the 
morphological and the physiological point of view. In space, at least, the former 
predominates; and it must be confessed that the physiology is too obscure yet to 
be very satisfactory. 
In the first section (36 pp.) the author defines the term, states the history of 
the phenomenon, and describes, as various sorts, incomplete, exorbitant, complete, 
lateral, habital, secondary, and false anisophylly. The second section (67 pp.) 
describes all the cases of anisophylly observed, in the systematic order from 
lycopods to composites, including cases of anisocotyly. The third section (55 pp-) 
causation; he intends to enumerate experimental work on all recorded cases, 
including new observations of his own. He has overlooked, however, the beauti- 
ful demonstration of DorEty? that gravity is the cause of anisocotyly in Cerato- 
zomia; nor among the anisophyllous gymnosperms does he mention this and other 
cases in cycads. 
The general conclusion is that anisophylly, which is very much more general 
than is commonly thought, cannot be said to be due in nature directly to the 
' Figpor, W., Die Erscheinung der Anisophyllie: eine morphologisch physiol” 
gische Studie. 8yo. pp. vilit+175. figs. 23. fls.7. Franz Deuticke: Leipzig un 
Wien. 1909. 
2 Dorety, HELEN A., The seedling of Ceratozamia. Bot. GAZETTE 46:3°5- 
1908. 
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