86 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [January 



Taxonomic notes. — Bailey 8 has published in advance some of the changes 

 in nomenclature that will appear in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. 

 The changes selected for publication involve the names of ioo species and 

 varieties, and some of the changes affect North American species. For example, 

 the retention of Mains in Pyrus involves changes in 24 names; while a new 

 interpretation of Statice as contrasted with Limonium calls for changes in 43 

 names. The author pays his respects to a certain type of taxonomic work as 

 follows: "It has been the desire, in the compilation of the cyclopedia, to accept 

 new generic limitations with caution. The temper of the present times is to 

 find differences, as opposed to the tendency of the immediately preceding 



1 



workers to find agreements. The analytic intention is the mark of syste- 

 matic work in this generation, as the synthetic intention was the mark of the 

 past generation. There is reason to expect a return from the method of dis- 

 union to the method of relationships; and as a work designed for the use of 

 horticulturalists, who cannot be skilled in bibliography and pedantry, should 

 be conservative, I have thought it best, so far as possible, to avoid unnecessary 

 and fantastic sub-divisions." 



Conard 9 has revived the discussion concerning certain generic names of 

 our water lilies. With the help of even the more conservative manuals, we 

 were accustoming ourselves to say Castalia when we thought of Nymphaea, 

 and to say Nymphaea when we thought of Nuphar. Now Conard has shown 

 that the valid generic name for the white water lilies is Nymphaea after all, 

 and for the yellow pond lilies is Nuphar. 



Fernald 10 has discussed the species of Sabatia usually recognized as 

 occurring in New England, and has described a new species (S. Kennedyana) 

 occurring in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. — J, M. C. 



Life cycles of bacteria- — Lohnis and Smith, 11 in a preliminary communi- 

 cation, present some of their conclusions from a study of 42 strains of bacteria. 

 All of these strains showed life cycles "not less complicated than those of other 

 microorganisms "; and the authors are inclined to believe that this may be 

 true of all species of bacteria. The forms studied live alternately in an organ- 

 ized and in an amorphous stage, the latter being called a "symplastic" stage, 

 because in this stage the separate cells undergo "a thorough mixing." From 

 this "symplasm" new individual cells arise in various ways. In all cases what 

 are called " regenerative units" become visible, which increase in size, and 



* Bailey, L. H., Nomenclatorial transfers. Rhodora 18:152-160. 1916. 



9 Conard, Henry S., Nymphaea and Nuphar again. Rhodora 18:161-164, 

 1916. 



10 Fernald, M. L., The genus Sabatia in New England. Rhodora i8:i45~ x 5 2 ' 

 pi. 121. 1916. 



11 Lohnis, F., and Smith, N. R., Life cycles of the bacteria. Jour. Agric. Research 

 6:675-702. pis. 1-7. fig. 1. 1916. 



