125 



The (lueslion whether the cycadeoids had early relatives 

 leading toward the angiosperms, or of a possijjle angiospermous 

 relationship through reduction of floral parts, was mentioned 

 tentatively. It was not considered quite certain that the larger 

 cycadeoid, and likewise some magnolia flowers, may not show a 

 certain amount of secondary gigantism. 



The recently discovered angiosperm group Caytoniales of the 

 mid-Jurassic of the Yorkshire Coast, which at last definitely 

 extends the record below Cretaceous time, was considered in 

 detail, and it was shown that the group occurs earlier in the 

 Mexican Lias. It was pointed out why fossil flowers are so 

 rarely found or recognized, and it was concluded that the angi- 

 osperms did not likely arise later than the Permian. — Dr. 

 Wieland believes that two of the most promising regions in 

 which to explore for evidence bearing on early, or intermediate 

 angiospermous types, are the many Rhatic outcrops in Argentina 

 and Lias of Mexico. He has collected in both. 



Arthur H. Graves, 



Secretary 



Meeting of May 27, 1925. 



This was a joint meeting of the Wild Flower Preservation 

 Society of America and the Torrey Botanical Club — the regular 

 annual affair in the interests of the conserv^ation of our native 

 plants, held at the Museum Building of the New York Botanical 

 Garden. Mr. Ga^dord Johnson, 292 Lincoln Place, Brooklyn, 

 was unanimously elected to membership in the Torrey Botanical 

 Club. 



Dr. Benedict, representing the committee appointed last year 

 to secure legislation for the protection of our native plants, re- 

 ported that Mr. Louis Marshall of New York Cit\- drew up two 

 laws which were proposed in February of this year, but did not 

 pass, the chief objection being that they were too drastic. The 

 first was an amendment to the penal code which made more 

 stringent and specific the penalty for removing wild plants from 

 private lands. The second amended the State Conservation 

 law in two ways: first by authorizing the State Commissioner of 

 Conservation to control the picking of plants in State parks, and 

 the second, by modifj-ing the private park section, encouraged the 



