Igt2] CURRENT LITERATURE 271 
Swamp vegetation in Japan.—A study of the vegetation of a shallow lake 
by NAKANOo* is probably the first ecological investigation to be reported from 
Japan. The lake represents an ox-bow of the River Tone, and is surrounded 
by a swamp formation nieve of = concentric zones about the central - 
re 
ts, 
predominate. The succeeding agnipehei are characterized by Zizania 
aquatica, Typha onnnditiice Phragmites communis, and Sagittaria sagittifolia 
respectively. The author decides from an analysis of the swamp flora that 
its closest alliance i is Sie that of China, with 67 per cent of common species; 
the dominant species, however, are mostly common to North America, 
although the ner gas only 27 per cent of common species. The only 
endemic plant is Potamogeton lucens var. teganumensis.—GrEo. D. FULLER. 
Mycorhiza of Solanums.—Seeking for data which could be related to his 
hypothesis of tuberization being caused by fungal infection, BERNARD’ had 
begun the investigation of the various species of Solanum for the presence of 
endophytic fungi when death interrupted his labors. He found, however, that 
such fungi were present in the rootlets of older plants of Solanum Dulcamara, 
and in the roots of the probable ancestor of the cultivated potato, S. Maglia. 
The latter showed the presence of mycorhiza only when growing under natural 
conditions, being entirely free from infection as cultivated in botanic gardens 
and elsewhere in Europe. These results are suggestive of the possible effects 
of cultivation upon the fungi present in the tubers of the potato, and of their 
possible influence upon the evolution of tuberization as it now exists in the 
potato.—Geo, D. FULLER 
scular connections of sporocarp of Marsilea.—Ever since the “fertile 
spike” of Ophioglossaceae has been removed by CHRYSLER and others from the 
category of an adaxial sporangiophore to that of fused lateral pinnae, the 
adaxially stalked sporocarp of the Marsileaceae has been a suggestive situation. 
CHRYSLER studied Marsilea quadrifolia and found the vascular connections of 
the sporocarp stalk to be the same in kind as those of the fertile spike in Ophio- 
glossaceae. Miss ALLISON%’ has now added M. polycarpa, in which the petiole 
bears a varying number of sporocarps, which arise acropetally. She finds that 
the vascular connections are just as in M. quadrifolia, and indicate that the 
sporocarps are fertile lobes of the leaf. She found also the same condition in 
Pieris semipinnata, a species with pinnules on one side only of the pinna.— 
J. me. 
-4 NAKANO, H., The vegetation is lakes and swamps in Japan. I, Teganuma. 
Bot. Mag. Tokyo 25:35-51. figs. 
35 BERNARD, NOEL, Les ek sa Solanums. Ann. Sci. Nat. Bot. IX. 14: 
235-257. IQrl. 
36 ALLISON, t E., Note on the vascular connections of the sporocarp in 
Marsilea pao Hook. and Grev. New Phytol. 10: 204-206. pl. 3. 1911. 
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