1908] CURRENT LITERATURE 397 
form a fourth family of the order Marchantiales: Ricciaceae, Corsiniaceae, 
Riellaceae, Marchantiaceae, rather than be placed as an aberrant family in the 
Jungermanniales anacrogynae.—C. R. B 
Cleistogamy.—The examination of a large number of cleistogamous flowers 
of monocotyls and dicotyls showed HELENE RitzERow* that all are reductions 
from the chasmogamous forms, and that the reductions follow a definite direction 
determined by the normal development of the chasmogamous form. The mode 
of reduction in the various floral parts is described in detail. The pollen grains 
of many forms germinate within the anther, the pollen tubes emerging in various 
ways. Chasmogamous flowers are generally so situated upon the plant that 
they receive better nourishment than the cleistomagous. So many forms are 
described that the work will be good for reference. . 
Tuzson® has observed for six years two trees of Robinia Pseudo-Acacia, 
3° to 40 years old, and has found them producing only cleistogamous flowers. 
Adventitious shoots, six years old, from these trees also produce only cleistogamous 
flowers. The author believes that in this case the cleistogamy is entirely inde- 
pendent of external conditions and due rather to inner causes—CHARLES J. 
HAMBERLAIN, 
Fossil polar plants.—NarHorst,”° in connection with the publication of the 
Tesults of the Russian Polar Expedition of 1900-1903, has given an account of the 
nassic and Jurassic plants from the Island of Kotelny. Schizoneura is the only 
Triassic plant. Among the most interesting Jurassic remains are the leaves and 
= scales of a pinelike conifer. As the affinity of these is not absolutely cer- 
tain in the absence of structural evidence, they are denominated Pityophyllum 
= Pityolepis respectively. The scales present a remarkable appearance, for 
ening from the base they narrow abruptly to an isthmus about the middle, 
0 expand again at their upper ends. The question naturally suggests itself, 
Whether the upper region does not correspond to the apophysis of modern pines. 
teviewer has found somewhat similar cone scales in the Lower Cretaceous. 
The author takes occasion to criticize the erroneous reference of probable pine 
needles to the problematical Jurassic genus Cyclopitys (Sciadopitys). The latter 
does hot consider to form properly an element of the flora of the Mesozoic as 
*ccurs in the northern hemisphere.—E. C. JEFFREY. 
Phylogeny of Archegoniatae and Characeae.—SCHENCK** regards the bryo- 
= Pleridophytes, and Characeae as unrelated groups, the first two having 
oo Ritzerow, HELENE, Ueber Bau und Befruchtung kleistogamer Blithen. 
Se 163-212, figs. 36. 1907. : oo 
a) UZSON, JOHANN, Ueber einen neuen Fall der Kleistogamie. Bot. Jahrb. 
tik, Pflanzengeschichte, und Pflanzengeographie 40:1-14. pls. I, 2. 1997- 
1907. pe noner, A. G., Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. St. Petersbourg VIII. 21: no 
it 
. 23, 
. ar ScHENck, HEIRIcH, Ueber die Phylogenie der Archegoniaten und Characeen. 
Engler’s Bot. Jarhb, 42:1-37. 1908. 
