76 



and one, Frankenia, widely distributed. He has studied ma- 

 terial of five species, F. hirsuta and puherulenta of the Medi- 

 terranean region, F. Jamesii of Texas, F. grandijolia of Cali- 

 fornia and F. Fischeri of Argentina. These plants exhibit a 

 series of remarkable resemblances to genera of the Caryo- 

 phyllaceae, in particular to Dianthus: in the somewhat swollen 

 nodes, the opposite, entire leaves connected by a scarious 

 membrane, the long, deeply-angled calyx, the five petals, 

 their texture, their claw and ligule, the compound one-celled 

 ovary, the double seed-coat with pearly surface and rather 

 conspicuous funiculus. The placentation in F. hirsuta and 

 grandijolia is parietal along the lower part of the ovary, in 

 puherulenta somewhat higher; in Fischeri and Jamesii almost 

 basal. We see here variation similar to what we have in the 

 Cactaceae in Opuntia and Pereskia. The embryo in Frankenia 

 is straight, in the Centrospermae generally curved, but in 

 Dianthus nearly straight. 



These numerous resemblances indicate that in a natural 

 classification the Frankeniaceae must be near the Caryophylla- 

 ceae. This implies that the Centrospermae as a whole must 

 be considered as derived from the Parietales group of families; 

 the position usually assigned them before the Ranales is mis- 

 leading. 



Mrs. G. P. Anderson followed, with a talk on the "Disappear- 

 ance of certain species of lichens from the vicinity of New York 

 City." She stated that she has been interested in comparing 

 the present lichen flora in the triassic lowlands of New Jersey 

 with that given for the lowlands of Bergen County by Austin in 

 his list of New Jersey lichens, published in 1889.* In this 

 county, which is irregularly 14 by 10 miles in area, he listed 224 

 species. 26 are listed as very common or frequent. 21 of 

 these are lichens growing on trees, and 17 are fruticose species. 

 Mrs. Anderson said that of these common and conspicuous 

 lichens, which are well known to her and which she has collected 

 many times in other regions, not one fruticose tree lichen has 

 been found in the lowland from Staten Island to the Delaware 



* Britton, N. L. Catalogue of plants found in New Jersey. From the final 

 report of the State Geologist, Vol. II, Thallophyta, Class I, Lichens. Prepared 

 from manuscript of C. F. Austin, revised by Dr. J. W. Eckfeldt. Pp. 357-384. 

 i88q. 



