168 BOTAMCAL GAZETTE [February 



discussing geographical distribution. The author sets a high example for 

 American systematic paleobotanists. It is to be hoped, however, that the 

 paleobotanical activities of the U.S. Geological Survey will not in the long run 

 be confined to the systematic side, but that they will be extended, as has 

 already been done in the case of European countries, to the crucially important 

 although less abundant structural remains. — E. C. Jeffrey. 



Lower Eocene plants. — Berry 37 has published an extensive paper on the 

 plants of the Lower Eocene of southeastern North America, being the result 

 of several years of work on the fossil plants of the southern coastal plain. 

 Naturally, much of the report deals with the stratigraphic relations illustrated 

 by the plants, but the systematic descriptions are of great botanical interest. 

 The orders represented, 34 in number, range from Pyrenomycetes to Rubiales, 

 but 29 of the orders are angiosperms. Caenomyces is a new genus of Pyreno- 

 mycetes, including 6 species. The pteridophytes are represented by 5 new 

 species, and Meniphylloides is proposed as a new genus of ferns. The gym- 

 nosperms are represented by 2 new species, one in Zamia and the other in 

 Anthrotaxis, while 4 new species, representing as many genera, belong to the 



monocotyledons. 



The bulk of the report, however, deals with the dicotyledons, 228 new 

 species being described, distributed among 96 genera, among which are 7 

 new genera as follows: Paraengelhardtia ( Juglandaceae) , Kni ghtio phylhtm 

 (Proteaceae) , Dalbergites (Leguminosae) , Sterculiocarpiis (Sterculiaceae) , 

 Bombacites (Bombaceae), Dillenites (Dilleniaceae), and T ernstr oemiies (Tern- 

 stroemiaceae). One of the marked features in the composition of this dicoty- 

 ledonous flora is the abundance of leguminous plants, of which 53 new species 

 are described, 12 of which, for example, belong to Cassia. In addition to the 

 new species assigned definitely to recognized families, 14 new species are de- 

 scribed under form genera of uncertain relationship. — J. M. C. 



Conjugate nuclei in Ascomycetes. — In a brief article, Miss Welseord 38 

 notes the fact that conjugate nuclei are common in the hyphae of well nourished 

 mycelia of Botrytis cinerea and Sderotinia Libertiana. In poorly nourished 

 mycelia the paired nuclei are absent, as the nuclei under such conditions have 

 time to move considerable distances apart before successive divisions occur. 

 Miss Welsford observes that if conjugate nuclei occur generally in the myce- 

 lium of Ascomycetes, their presence in the ascogenous hyphae does not have 

 the sexual significance usually attributed to it. — H. Hasselbrixg. 



» Berry, E. W., The Lower Eocene floras of southeastern North America. U.S. 

 Geol. Survey. Professional paper 91. pp. 481. pis. 117. figs. 16. 1916. 



& Welsford, E. J., Conjugate nuclei in the Ascomycetes. Ann. Botany 30:415- 

 417- figs. 4* 1916. 





