Paulowna, a hereditary princess of the Netherlands. It was 

 introduced into cultivation in Europe by Siebold, and seems to 

 have flowered in England for the first time out of doors about 

 1852. It is a member of the figwort family, to which belong 

 also the foxglove, the mulleins, the speedwells or veronicas, the 

 beard-tongues or pentstemons, and many others of our well- 

 known plants. 



George V. Nash. 



NOTES, NEWS AND COMMENT. 



Dr. M. T. Cook has been awarded a research scholarship at 

 the Garden for 3 months, beginning January 1 . 



Professor J. C. Arthur and Mr. F. D. Kern, both of Purdue 

 University, Lafayette, Indiana, are continuing their researches on 

 plant rusts in the Garden herbarium during the month of January,' 

 and completing their monograph of these minute destructive fungi 

 for publication in " North American Flora," part of it being 

 already in press. 



The Botanical Society of America met at the Garden on De- 

 cember 29. The programme, including the address of the retiring 

 president, was completed by 1. 30 P. M. Over a hundred persons 

 remained to luncheon. 



The lichen collection of Dr. H. E. Hasse, of California, con- 

 sisting of about 3,000 species and many duplicates, has been 

 recently presented to the Garden by Mr. John I. Kane. Most 

 of the specimens are from America, many of them having been 

 collected by Dr. Hasse in California, while a goodly number of 

 European specimens are scattered through the collection. 



Mr. Guy West Wilson, one of the student guides at the 

 Garden, presented an interesting paper on the " Downy Mil- 

 dews " at the meeting of the botanical convention, December 5. 

 The members of this class are filamentose alga-like fungi which 

 are either aquatic or aerial. The aquatic forms, of which Sapro- 



