S8 BOTAmCAL GAZETTE [january 



botany. The section on human physiology attempts to cover all the important 

 topics, and meets the demands of certain state laws by indicating the effects of 

 alcohol. The absurd extent to which this may be carried is shown in the chapter 

 on "The nervous system/' in which ten pages are given to alcoholism and eight 

 to the entire nen'ous system.—Oxis W. Caldwell. 



Wettstein's Handbuch 3 



A third instalment of Wettstein^s Handbuch contains a general discussion 

 of the angiosperms and a special taxonomic treatment of the choripetalous dicotyls. 

 The next and final instabnent, which is promised in the spring of 1908, will deal 

 with the rest of the dicotyls and with the monocotyls. After a presentation of the 

 general morpholog)' of angiosperms, the writer discusses their phylogeny. He 

 believes that the monocotyls have been derived from the dicotyls, and that among 

 the dicotyls the Monochlamydeae contain the most primitive forms. Conse- 

 quently, they would be most likely to show characters which might indicate rela- 

 tionship with groups below. The pollen-tube structures and the flowers of 

 angiosperms are thought to indicate a g>-mnosperm origin. It is not claimed 

 that the Sowers of living g>'mnosperms and angiosperms furnish an easy transition, 

 but merely that the types can be reconciled both morphologically and ecologically. 

 The Choripetalae are arranged in thirteen series, beginning with the Verticillatae, 

 Casuarinaceae being the lowest family, and ending with the Centrospermae, in 

 which the Car>-ophyllaceae are the highest family. The Dialvpetalae contain 

 twelve series, "beginning with the Polycarpicae, Magnoliaceae being the lowest 

 family, and ending with the UmbelMorae. The description of famihes is fuU 

 and clear and profusely illustrated with excellent figures, many of which are new.- 



ChARLES T. CEL\irBE]RLAIN. 



MINOR NOTICES 



Das Pflaiizenxeich.4— Parrt 30 contains the Styracaceae, prepared by Janet 



Afterthe usual introductor>' account of the characters and geographical 

 distribution of the family, the six genera are presented as foHows: PamphHia 

 (3 spp., I new), Styrax (97 spp., 11 new), Eruinsmia (2 spp.), AlniphvUum (3 spp.), 

 Halesia (3 spp.), and Pterostj^rax (3 spp., i new). . 



Part 31 contains the Potamogetonaceae bv Aschersox and Graebxes, 

 prefaced by an unusually fuU account of the structure and habits of this interesting 

 family. The systematic presentation is as follows: Zostereae containing Zostera 



3 Wettstein, Br. Rich.\ei> 



II Band. 2 Theii (erste Halfte). 

 Franz Deuticke. 1907. M 9. 



*EXGLER, A., Das Pflanzeoreich. Heft 30. St>Tacaceae von J. Perkins, pp. 

 III. figs. 18 (191). M 5.60. Heft 31. Potamogetonaceae von P. AscHERSC^f 

 vnd P. Gr.^bxer. pp. 184- figs. 36 (221). if 9.20. Leipzig: TOlhelm Engei- 



