26 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 
member of the neces nts contributed a valuable paper on 
Australian Ebenac The family is represented in Australia by 
australiensis, known only from a oe cimen at the British 
resul a original Radice on the anatomy of 
the leaves. Dr. Emily ge discussed the affinities of 
Casuarina, which she regards as allied t Fagaceze, and 
brought forward evidence from an examination of the structure 
of the inflorescence, lower, and cupule of the Fagacez in suppo 
of Hallier’s view that the ancestors of Cupuliferse were allied to 
the Rosacez, and that ‘this igh is not a primitive one directly 
descended from the Gymno . 
The President of the Gants Prof. F. O. Bower, drawing from 
the gies of his exhaustive work on the pene a gave a 
Fern 
Other papers were of more Sanstal interest. Dr. C. J. Bond 
scribed some abnormal Begonia flowers, and showed that in 
cates an associated abnormality of the sex-organs in the flower 
which a remees the pedicel on which the abnormal floral bract 
appears. This abnormality takes various forms, from simple 
multiplication or modification of accessory floral parts to ria 
hemaphroditism. The relative position of the male and 
seX-organs on the axis indicates whether the flower is pins ay 
male or female. From his observations Dr. Bond bebe nes that 
the monecious condition in plants is probably an intermediate 
and unstable stage. The hermaphrodite flower, hia’ is probably 
an adaptation to insect rhc nee has been brought about by 
delaying the segregation of the male and ‘eeisis sex-organs till 
the period of the development of the flower. If this occurs early 
uring the evolution of the inflorescence, such plants would revert 
to the monecious condition. Prof. Gunnar Andersson discussed 
the climate in Northern Temperate and Arctic Zones during the 
latest Pleistocene Age, and Dr. Ostenfeld based on the somewhat 
remarkable distribution of the “ Sea-grasses,” or marine genera 
A. J. Davey gave a preliminary account of some features of inte- 
rest determined in the course of an investigation of the anatomy 
and morphology of the seedlings of geo phytic Dicetyledows, 
including some pseu suchas Ranuncu- 
lus Eigeeles Conopodium denudatwm, and Cyclamen persicum. 
* See Hiern in Journ. Bot. 1914, p. 338. + Op. cit. 1910, p. 159. 
ORES ASE EE ae ee Oe ae eT eR 
