i9!7] CURRENT LITERATURE 



329 



The relation of soil moisture to transpiration and to economy in the use of 

 water is also shown by the investigations of Yuncker, 13 who, using the wax 

 seal method and weighing the sealed pots, has studied the comparative rates 

 of transpiration of young plants of Zea Mays growing in soil with 3 differ- 

 I ent soil moisture contents, all somewhat above the wilting coefficient and 



I showing respectively 25, 45, and 65 per cent of possible saturation. The rate 



of transpiration and the water requirement for periods up to 1320 hours was 

 least for the driest cultures, which, however, seem to have had no deficiency in 

 water supply, and most for those with the highest soil moisture content. Thus 

 among other things it appears that the experiment demonstrated that the 

 amount of dry matter formed was not at all proportional to transpiration. 

 Geo. D. Fuller. 



Taxonomic notes. — Lange, 14 in the second part of his studies on the 

 agarics of Denmark, has published his results with Amanita, Lepiota, and 

 Coprinus. The first part, published in 1914, contained a general introduction 





Myc 



species 



■ 



Lepiota 31 species, 1 of which is new; and Coprinus 33 species, 3 of which are 

 new. The presentation of each genus is preceded by a full discussion of its 

 characters and an analytical key. 



Macbride, 1 * in presenting "The true Mertensias of western North 

 America," recognizes 32 species, 4 of which are described as new. Gray's 

 Synoptical Flora (1886) contains 7 species, 2 of which are restricted to the 

 Atlantic states. Since that time, 74 species have been proposed. In a 

 "Revision of the genus Oreocarya" 45 species are recognized, 4 of which are 

 described as new. In "Notes on certain Borraginaceae," Amblyiiotopsis is 



;ed 



Mer 



tensia, and Lit hos per mum. 



Moore 16 has described 2 new genera: Capitatwpsis (Labia tae) from 

 Madagascar, and Megalostylis (Euphorbiaceae) from Peru or Brazil (upper 

 Amazon region). He also describes 13 new species from Africa. 



Okamura, 1 * in his second contribution to the bryophytic flora of Japan, de- 

 scribes a new liverwort and 29 new species of mosses well distributed generically. 



13 Yunxker, T. G., A study of the relation of soil moisture to transpiration and 

 photosynthesis in the corn plant. Plant World 20: 151-161. 1916. 



14 Lange, Jakob E., Studies in the agarics of Denmark. Part II. Dansk. Bot. 

 Arkiv. 2:no. 3. pp. 53. ph. 2. 1915. 



15 MacBride, J. Francis, Contrib. Gray Herb. no. 48, pp. 5 8 - I0I °- 



16 Moore, Spexcer LeM., Alabastra diversa. XXVI. Jour. Botany 54:249- 

 257. 1916. 



I7 Okamura, Shutai, Contributiones novae ad floram bryophyton Japonicam. 

 Pars secunda. Jour. Coll. Sci. Tokyo 38: no. 4. PP- 100. figs. 42 • *9 l6 - 



