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America and the West Indies, I have been unable to distinguish 

 more than seven or eight that seem fairly distinct. The fruit 

 is very similar in the different species and of little specific value. 

 The leaves consist largely of a very broad costa, several layers of 

 cells in thickness, and this costa viewed in cross-section furnishes 

 some of the best characters in separating the species. One of 

 the most interesting features of the genus is the inflorescence. 

 It has usually been described as dioicous and both Schimper 

 and Braithwait figure male plants, three or four cm. high, growing 

 in separate tufts. In the five or six species I have examined 

 where antheridia occurred I have only found minute male plants 

 one to rarely five or six mm. high and these were always growing 

 on fruiting plants attached to tomentum enclosed by perichaetial 

 leaves of infertile archegonia, or more rarely on the inner side 

 of the tubulose stem leaves. It would be interesting to discover 

 whether or not a distinctly dioicous inflorescence ever occurs, 

 with male plants of large size." 



The second paper of the afternoon was by Mr. E. D. Clarke 

 on "The Role of the Oxidizing Ferments in Plants." 

 The following abstract was prepared by Mr. Clarke: 

 "The oxidizing ferments or enzymes are very widely distrib- 

 uted in both the higher and lower plants. Since all other en- 

 zymes seem to be produced by plants or animals for some definite 

 purpose in the life of the organism, it was natural that speculation 

 should arise regarding the function of the oxidizing enzymes of 

 the plant. Little is known of the nature of these enzymes but 

 their activity may best be described by saying that they act as 

 accelerators of the ordinary processes of oxidation. It seems 

 likely that the oxidizing ferments assist the plant in carrying on 

 the oxidative processes of respiration by increasing the rapidity 

 of the combination of oxygen with the oxidizable substances of 

 the plant body. In the self-destructive processes of anaerobic 

 respiration, these ferments probably play the same part. An 

 illustration of the latter type is found in the case of the spadix 

 of Arum maculatum which sometimes reaches a temperature of 

 20° C. above its surroundings. Certain of the higher plants and 

 fungi change color very rapidly upon injury; the resulting ex- 



