1909] CURRENT LITERATURE 475 
Central American species of Castilleja” in which 54 species are recognized, 17 
being new to science. A clear and concise key precedes the enumeration and 
description of species; the same author (ibid. 603-608) describes 12 new species 
of Mexican flowering plants belonging to different genera—B. L. RoBiNson 
(bid. 592-596) in a “Revision of the genus Rumfordia”’ records six known 
species, of which two are here described for the first time, and (ibid. 613-626) 
under the title “Diagnoses and transfers of tropical American phanerogams” 
publishes 20 new species and three new varieties, and makes several new combi- 
nations.—H. H. Bartiett (ibid. 597-602) gives a ‘‘Synopsis of the American 
species of Litsea,’’ recognizing 11 species, 5 of which are new, and (ibid. 609-612) 
under ‘‘Notes on Mexican and Central American alders” describes one new 
species and three new varieties; the same author (ibid., 627-637) has published 
14 new species and varieties of flowering plants chiefly from Mexico, and pro- 
poses one new genus (Basistelma) of the Asclepiadaceae. 
J. R. Jonnston has recently issued, as Contribution no. 37 of the above series, 
a “Flora of the islands of Margarita and Coche, Venezuela,” based chiefly on 
his own observations and collections made on the islands during two expeditions, 
one in 1901, the otherin 1903. A brief historical sketch of the botany of the islands, 
an account of the physical features, a catalogue of the species, a list of the economic 
and medicinal plants, the distribution of species, the composition and relationship 
of the flora are the main topics presented, to which is added a bibliography of all 
works that relate directly to the vegetation of the islands. Approximately 650 
species are known from Margarita and Coche at the present time; and the author 
estimates that this number represents about three-fourths of the entire flora. 
Forty-two species and two new genera have been discovered on Margarita during 
the course of Mr. JoHNsTon’s preparation of the present publication. The relation- 
ship of the flora, as would be expected, is with the mainland. The work forms 
an excellent basis for future investigations on the flora of the islands; it is, more- 
over, of particular scientific value since the plants on which the catalogue of 
species is based are deposited in several of the larger herbaria of Europe and 
America.— . GREENMAN. 
Anatomy of Zamia.—Martre*° has recently published an addition to the 
number of investigations in the interesting field of cycad anatomy. Zamia is 
the subject of the present work, the species studied being Zamia floridana and Z. 
integrifolia. The paper shows the anatomy of Zamia to be of the ordinary cycad 
In the embryo, the vascular plate of the cotyledonary node is a protostele. 
Each cotyledon receives three strands, which undergo the usual branching and 
anastomosing, and exhibit transfusion tissue at the tips. At the base of the 
cotyledons the strands are mesarch and may be even concentric; they are exarch 
in the middle and upper regions. The first leaves are opposite, but later ones 
3° Marre, H., Sur la structure de l’embryon et des germinations du genre Zamia 
L. Bull. Soc. Sci. et Med. de ’ Quest 18:nos. 2 and 3. 1909. 
