er ee ES Pe ee ee ee aN ie OR a a ee ee wes SEES oe PE Page oe: 
1897] CURRENT LITERATURE 69 
Dr. B. L. Ropinson and Mr. H. von Schrenk have published * an interest- 
ing account of their botanical exploration of Newfoundland during the sum- 
mer of 1894. It is strange that this very accessible and interesting region 
has been visited so seldom by botanists, the spermatophyte flora being 
scarcely represented in the best herbaria of Europe and America, and in 
none better than by fragmentary sets of Banks and LaPylaie. The visit was 
made to secure a number of uniform sets for distribution and to lay the foun- 
dation of a fuller knowledge of the flora. Some twenty sets were secured, 
containing 381 numbers of spermatophytes and onaaray ips 123 of which 
have not been recorded hitherto from Newfoundland.—J. M. C. 
A PUBLICATION of more than usual interest has just been issued from the 
Boissier herbarium. Under the title Hortus Boissierianus Mr. Eugéne 
Autran, curator of the herbarium, and M. Théophile Durand, curator 
of the botanic garden at Brussels, have published a volume of nearly 
ages containing an enumeration of the plants cultivated in 1885 by 
Boissier, the year of his death, in the gardens at Valleyres and Chambésy, 
specimens from which have enriched many collections. Possessed of an 
ample fortune and large experience, M. Boissier brought together a most 
remarkable collection of living plants, containing many specific types. This 
great collection has been preserved with the greatest care, and today presents 
unusual facilities for botanical study. The wealth of living material thus 
brought to notice cannot fail to attract the interest and attention of botanists. 
The volume is not a bare enumeration of the nearly 5000 species, but includes 
synonymy, ample bibliography, which is pada useful in its references to 
good plates, and geographical cal distribution. The careful establishment of 
5000 specific names is a great task, and we anticipate that Hortus Boissieria- 
nus will become almost as familiar in taxonomic references as Hortus Clif- 
fortianus, Hortus Kewensts, etc. A summary of the enumeration shows 
2524 species of dicotyledons, 1748 monocotyledons, 77 gymnosperms, and 
346 pteridophytes, besides 359 well marked varieties. An interesting pref- 
ace is written by M. F. ie the director of the —— at Brussels. — 
a es 
Dr. Verr Wittrock has paseid ‘the result of his studies upon the 
2 and origin of pansies.” The wild pansy, V. tricolor L., was first men- _ 
ned by Brunfels in 1536, at which time it was found not only wild but 
punt for ornament in the gardens of ' Germany. ‘The name a pansy sg 
was s first used: in botanical Hteratore: ae Frenchman — in s 1537. 
| *Rontxsox, Band Snes vox.—Notes spt mot on 
