1890.] Botany. 475 
12. With an extract of natural humus starch was formed in small 
quantities, in the case of rooted plants; in other cases no starch was 
was formed. 
13. With the humus-like product obtained by the action of alka- 
lies on cane sugar, no starch was formed. 
The plants used were chiefly Acer pseudoplatanus, Phaseolus vulgaris, 
Ranunculus acris, Cheiranthus cheiri, Tilia europea, Alisma plantago, 
Scrophularia aquatica, Quercus robur, Campanula glomerata, Euphorbia 
helioscopia, Lilium candidum. 
e author concludes: ‘‘ That green plants cannot normally obtain 
carbon for ‘assimilation’ from any substances except carbohydrates, 
or bodies closely related to them, not from aldehydes or their deriva- 
tives, and not from all carbohydrates even.” ‘‘Thata compound may 
be a source of carbon when supplied to the leaves, but not when sup- 
plied to the roots, and vice versa.” 
The Yellow Water Crowfoot.—This common plant of the eas- 
tern half of the continent, known hitherto under the name of Ranuncu- 
tus multifidus may have to bear the name of Ranunculus lacustris, given 
it by Beck and Tracy in the third edition of Eaton’s Manual (1822). 
Professor Greene, in a recent number of Pittonia, points out the fact 
that this name appears to have priority. He also calls attention to the 
fact ‘‘ that no one has yet stated whether 2. /acustris be annual or per- 
ennial,’’ saying farther that “ probably nobody knows.”’ 
It probably lives for about a year. The seedlings appear late in the 
autumn along the banks, and on the bottoms of dried up pools, ready 
to make an early growth in the following Spring. I have never found 
any evidence of the full grown plants lasting through the winter. Pos- 
sibly they may do so, in exceptionally mild winters, as is indeed the 
case with many other plants.—Cuar.es E. BESSEY. 
Atlas of French Plants.—Some months ago the first number of 
an important work by A. Masclef, was brought out by a Paris publish- 
ing house (Klincksieck,) under the title “ Atlas des Plantes de France, 
utiles, nuisibles et ornamentales.’’ When complete it will include two 
hundred colored plates, and about three hundred and fifty pages of 
text, at a cost of fifty francs. The pages and plates are of octavo size, 
and the latter are very well done. The work will prove a valuable one, 
especially to experiment station workers. 
The Characez of Germany.—The fifth volume of the new edi- 
tion of Rabenhorst’s ‘‘ Kryptogamen-Flora von Deutschland, Oester- 
reich und der Schweiz,” is to be devoted to the Characee. The work 
