1911] CURRENT LITERATURE 313 
known whether the growth rings where found are annual or seasonal, but from 
the data now in hand it appears that the soft wood trees become mature in the 
Philippine tropical forest in one-half to two-thirds the time that is taken by 
similar trees in the climate of the northern United States. —H. C. Cow es. 
A non-corticated Chara.—Material of such a form was studied by Miss 
SLUITER,” along with C. contraria and C. dissoluta. The non-corticated form 
appeared in a laboratory culture of Nitella which had died down, and was also 
found later during an excursion to the upper Ziirich Sea in the region of Buss- 
kirch. The two problems the author set herself for solution are: (1) What 
are the relations between Chara dissoluia and C. contraria? (2) Does the con- 
stantly non-corticated form of Busskirch belong in the C. comraria group ? 
Is it to be joined with C. dissoluta, or are the relations to other non-corticated 
forms closer ? 
The main work is divided into three parts: the development of the shoot 
and its side-organs in C. contraria; that in C. dissoluta; and that in the Chara 
from Busskirch. Each part is subdivided into the internal and external 
features. In the results and conclusions the author states that there is great 
agreement between C. contraria and C. dissoluta {. helvetica. She believes 
there is not sufficient evidence to consider the latter as one of the many forms 
of the former, and would not, from her investigation, place it next to C. con- 
fraria. As to the non-corticated Chara of Busskirch, the non-corticated forms of 
C. coronata and C. stelligera, which have appeared before in Europe, show no 
relation toit. Other non-corticated species are no more similar. » The author 
decides that the form must fall in with C. dissoluta f. helvetica and C. contraria. 
She believes that it must be designated as C. dissoluta f. helvetica, and that the 
entirely non-corticated form can appear independently from a one-layered 
corticated form.—Norma E. PFEIFFER. : 
Synapsis.—In a short but important paper, LAwson*' presents an inter- 
Pretation of synapsis entirely at variance with current views, and supports 
his Interpretation with such convincing evidence that some of our current 
confirmed the results secured in this genus by a study of algae, fungi, bryo- 
phytes, Pteridophytes, gymnosperms, and other angiosperms. 
uring the growth of the spore mother cell, the great accumulation of 
nuclear sap causes the nuclear cavity to expand until it reaches two or three 
erp 
* SLUITER, Catna, P., Beitriige zur Kenntnis von Chara contraria A. Braun und 
Chara dissoluta A. Braun. Bot. Zeit. 68:125-168. pls. 4-8. figs. 2I. 1910. 
** Lawson, A. ANSTRUTHER, The phase of the nucleus known as synapsis. 
Trans. Roy. Soc. Edinburgh 47: 591-604. pls. 1,2. 1911. 
