1910] CURRENT LITERATURE 79 
Miss Hype believes that the two chromosomes which must have united to form 
a bivalent chromosome are alike in size and shape, and that they represent paternal 
and maternal bodies. If extended observation should show that the differentiation 
of chromosomes shown in the figures is constant, this form would repay a thorough 
investigation—CuarLes J. CHAMBERLAIN. 
Apogamy in Oenothera.—In connection with his cultures of Oenothera, 
Gartes*? has discovered apogamy in O. Jata, one of the mutants of O. Lamarckiana. 
The anthers of O. Ja‘a from the Amsterdam cultures are persistently sterile, and 
this fact, associated in certain other genera with apogamy, suggested the possi- 
bility of apogamy in this form. To determine this, the anthers and styles of 
several flowers (on one individual) were removed and the flowers bagged as usual 
in making guarded crosses. All of these flowers gave negative results except 
one, which produced three fairly good seeds. The cytological investigation 
necessary to substantiate and explain this result is being made.—J. M. C. 
Heath vegetation.—Some of the ecological similarities of the coastal and 
barren regions of New York and New Jersey and the heath of Luneneburg are 
pointed out by Livincston,43 who would account for the desert-like aspect of 
the vegetation of the heath of Luneneburg by the too rapid drainage of the soil 
and the short growing season. The areas of bog or marsh found scattered through 
the heath are also physiologically dry, perhaps mainly because of the toxic organic 
matter present in the soil; hence such areas differ little in aspect from the heath. 
Both the heath and the moor are dominated by Calluna vulgaris, while Juniperus 
communis is conspicuous on the open heath.—Gro. D. FULLER. 
The “‘knee joint”? of Mougeotia.—Observations upon several species of 
Mougeotia indicate to NreuwLaNnp‘4 that the prevalent interpretation of “knee 
joints” as a stage in conjugation is incorrect, for the joints are present only in 
vegetative stages and never in typically conjugating material. Usually the cells 
of the filament hold together so firmly that the cells break through the middle 
rather than separate at the ends, but in material with the knee joints, the cells are 
easily dissociated, and, succeeding the appearance of the joints, the amount of 
material increases enormously, so that the joints seem to be related to vegetative 
multiplication.—Crartes J, CHAMBERLAIN. 
Absorption of water by leaves.—In a lecture before the Royal Horticultural 
Society of London,4s HENstow presented reasons derived from the older experi- 
ments and some recent ones by himself (which, by the way, are not all well con- 
is 
+ Gates, R. R,, Apogamy in Qenothera. Science N. S. 30: 691-694. 1909. 
43 LIVINGsTON, B. E., The heath of Luneneburg. Plant World 12: 231-240. 1909. 
44 NIEUWLAND, J. A. The “knee joint” of species of Mougeotia. Midland 
Naturalist x >82-84. Igog. 
: 4s HENstow, G., On the absorption of rain and dew by the green parts of plants. 
Jour. Roy. Hort. Soc. London 34:167-178. 1908. 
