1900] CURRENT LITERATURE 141 
salt, the toxic action may be analyzed into the effect of the H ions, the 
anions, and the undissociated molecules if any. The latter play a particu- 
larly important part, especially in the fatty and aromatic series of acids. In 
general the H ions of inorganic acids are powerfully toxic; the anions of 
organic acids are slightly toxic, often negligibly so as compared with the H 
ions; and carboxyl H is many times more toxic than hydroxyl H.—C. R. B. 
Mr. F. H. KNow.Ton has brought together our knowledge of the fossil 
plants associated with the lavas of the Cascade range, and has published 
the result in the Twentieth Annual Report (Part III) of the United States 
Geological Survey, in connection with an account of the Bohemia mining 
tegion of western Oregon. The species number about thirty, including but 
three ferns and three gymnosperms, and are said to point unmistakably to 
the Miocene age of the beds.—J. M. C 
PROFESSOR W. A. KELLERMAN, of Ohio State University, and his wife 
have published an account of the non-indigenous flora of Ohio (University 
Bulletin, Botanical Series no. 4). Inastate known to contain 2025 seed- 
plants, it seems that 430 of them are not indigenous. These introduced 
forms are from the following sources : 326 from Europe, 30 from Asia, 2 from 
Africa, 46 from South and West United States, 21 from Tropical or South 
America. 
PROFESsor K. Miyake, of the imperial University, Tokyo, finds that 
starch is present in the leaves of evergreens in winter, and that it is due to 
feeble photosynthesis occurring during that season. The mean temperatures 
of various days when this process was determined varied from 0.7-7° 
(mostly less than 3°). R, B, ; 
Dr. G. N. Best has revised the North American species of Paeudoleahys: 
He recognizes Seven species, with four varieties, of which three are new. 
One species, P. falcicus pis Kindb., is excluded ; and one, P. atricha Kindb., 
's doubtful—__¢, R, B. 
** Bot. Mag., Tokyo, 14: 44. 1900. 
“Bull. Torr. Bot. Club 27: 221-236. pl. 6, 7. 1900. 
