Decembee 25, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



935 



easily distinguished from the seedlings with their 

 single trvink. A piece of the stem of Landolphia, 

 a tropical liana, was exhibited. In this case the 

 latex coagulates in the canals and the rubber is 

 extracted by mechanical means. 



Mr. R. S. Williams spoke briefly of his five 

 months' experience in Panama, particularly on 

 the climatic and soil conditions as affecting vege- 

 tation. 



Dr. E. B. Southwick exhibited a peculiar mon- 

 strosity of Zea Mays. Mr. Nash reported the 

 discovery of the rare orchid, Epipactis viridiflora, 

 at Letchworth Park. 



Teact E. Hazen, 

 Secretary pro tern. 



The meeting of October 29, 1908, was called to 

 order at the New York Botanical Garden at 3:30 

 P.M., Dr. M. A. Howe being asked to take the 

 chair. Mr. Percy Wilson was elected secretary. 



A microscopic preparation of the red snow 

 plant, Sphwrella nivalis, collected this autumn on 

 Cape York, Greenland, was exhibited by Dr. N. L. 

 Britton, who received it from the secretary of the 

 Peary Arctic Club. Dr. Tracy Hazen gave a brief 

 description of this interesting plant and raised 

 certain questions still unsolved concerning it. 



The first subject on the published program was 

 "A Recent Collection of Mosses from Panama," 

 by Mr. R. S. Williams. The following synopsis 

 of this paper was written for the secretary by 

 Mr. Williams: 



" For the time spent in the field this was much 

 the smallest collection of mosses ever made by the 

 speaker. It may be accounted for partly by the 

 fact that most of the work was done in the latter 

 part of the dry season, namely, during the last 

 week of February, through March and about three 

 weeks of April, and partly because of the low level, 

 mostly under 300 feet elevation, at which much 

 of the collecting was done. 



" In the city of Panama are a number of fine 

 old ruins more or less overgrown with shrubs and 

 smaller plants, but not a single species of moss 

 was observed. On going to Penonome, some hun- 

 dred miles west of the Canal Zone on the Pacific 

 coast the conditions were found to be much the 

 same. One species of moss, however, was found 

 abundantly fruiting in a cultivated field of cas- 

 sava. This was Bryum coronatum Schwaegr., a 

 world-wide species of the tropics and occurring as 

 far north as Florida. On going a few miles back 

 of the town among the foothills and low moun- 

 tains, various mosses become not uncommon, grow- 



ing chiefly on trees, but even here very few species 

 were obtained in anything like good fruiting con- 

 dition. On leaving Penonome a trip was made 

 southeast of the canal along the Pacific coast 

 about 100 miles to the Gulf of San Miguel and 

 up the Tuira River about 70 miles into the in- 

 terior to the mining camp of Cana. Here much 

 more favorable conditions were found, Cana being 

 situated at an altitude of 2,000 feet above the sea 

 with the Espirito Santo Mountains just back of 

 the town rising 5,000 feet higher. Mosses and 

 liverworts were fairly abundant and at a more 

 favorable season doubtless a large collection might 

 be made. 



" Of the thirty species brought back from both 

 sides of the Canal Zone, five sixths are known 

 to be South American. Two of these, Pilotrichum 

 amazonum Mitt., collected originally by Spruce 

 on the Amazon, and Lepidopilum brevipes Mitt., 

 founu. by Spruce in the Andes at 3,000 feet, had 

 not been since reported by any other collector. 

 The five remaining species appear to be unknown 

 outside of Central America. They are Syrrhopo- 

 don Bernoullii CM.; a species belonging to the 

 very large genus Macromitrium, apparently un- 

 described; a species of Oryphwa, also undescribed, 

 and bearing numerous propagula on the stems; 

 Porotrichum cohanense CM. and Gyclodictyon 

 Liehmanni Schimp., these last two being previ- 

 ously known only from the type localities." 



The second announced paper, " The Morphology 

 of TcBnioma," by Miss Elizabeth I. Thompson, was 

 not read. Miss Thompson being absent. 



Dr. N. L. Britton gave a brief account of Rhip- 

 salis, a genus of tne Cactaceae whose members are 

 pendulous from tree trunks or rocks. Most of 

 these plants occur in tropical America, but a few 

 species, strange to say, are found in tropical east 

 Africa. Of the fifty-three species that have been 

 recognized, the speaker discussed chiefly those of 

 Mexico, Central America and the West Indies, 

 illustrating his remarks with herbarium speci- 

 mens. 



Dr. Tracy Hazen described in detail an interest- 

 ing phase in the development of a species of 

 Ghwtophora found in the brook flowing through 

 the herbaceous valley of the New York Botanical 

 Garden. This investigation is, however, not yet 

 complete. Dr. Hazen stated incidentally that the 

 algal flora of this brook appeared to be consider- 

 ably richer now than it was a few years ago, and 

 a discussion followed as to the presence of addi- 

 tional forms, some attributing it to insects, frogs 

 and other minor aquatic animals, and others to 



