1913] CURRENT LITERATURE 261 
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of pevacent territory would afford. Th 
of non in the pine-barren flora would tend to indicate 
a plant formation of considerable antiquity. The species from the far north 
in the pine-barrens are explained as having come down with the advancing ice 
sheets and having become isolated in bogs such as were probably to be found 
in explanation of the peculiar flora of this interesting plant formation. 
—Geo. D. FuLLER 
Origin of maize.—Co.ins* has been attacking the problem of the origin 
of maize by extensive cultures of the different types of maize, teosinte (Eu- 
chlaena mexicana), and teosinte-maize hybrids, through a period of seven years. 
The current view is that maize was derived from its nearest wild relative, 
teosinte. CoLLins concludes that it originated as a hybrid between teosinte 
and an unknown grass belonging to the Andropogoneae, a grass which resem- 
bled the earless varieties of pod corn (Zea tunicata). In enumerating the 
pronounced differences between teosinte and pod corn, he calls attention to 
the fact that in practically every case the characters of maize are intermediate. 
The origin of the maize “ear” has always been an interesting question. 
Cours regards it as ‘ie homologue of the central spike of the staminate 
inflorescence, but the central spike is quite as anomalous as the ear, and to 
account for it may call for the fasciation of simple branches of the inflorescence. 
In this sense, therefore, both opinions as to - nature of the maize ear (central 
spike or fasciation) may be right.—J. M 
Influence of adult on seedling. 
the seedling structure of Persoonia lanceolata (Proteaceae) as a basis for the 
claim that the adult structure influences that of the seedling. The occurrence 
of polycotyledony among the Proteaceae is well known, a also the resem- 
lance in the habit of some of them to the gymnosperms. The number of 
cotyledons in P. /anceolata ranges from three to five, and the authors are con- 
vinced that they have arisen by the splitting of two original structures. The 
details of the seedlin ng structure further emphasize the close resemblance to 
the polycotyledonous gymnosperms, “a resemblance which is found not only 
in the general morphological configuration, but also in certain histological 
details and in the transition phenomena.” The authors, of course, attach 
no phylogenetic significance to these similarities, but ‘‘the resemblance is 
considered as a striking instance of momnasy s in which the adult has influenced 
to a considerable extent the seedling.” —J. M. C. 
* Cottins, G. N., The origin of maize. Jour. Wash. Acad. Sci. 2: 520-530. 1912. 
* Hitt, T. G., and DEFRamg, E., On the influence of the structure of the adult 
plant upon the miciliivie. New Phytol. 11: 319-332. figs. 9. 1912. 
