General Notes. 



[January, 





Thallophytes, involving some interesting points, 

 classes, viz : the Cyanophyceae, Chlorophycese, Conjugate, Phaeo- 

 phyceae, Fungi, Myxomycetes and Rhodophyceae, are recognized. 

 These classes are regarded as genetic groups, which often include 

 plants of very different structural rank. The Cyanophyceae are 

 thus all Agamae, while the Chlorophyceae are, for the greater 

 part, Isogamae, with three of its five branches extending into the 

 Oogamae, and one into the Carposporeae. Phaeophyceae originating 

 in the Isogamae, extend into the Oogamae; similarly the Fungi, 

 which have their origin in the Oogamae extend into the Carposporae. 

 The Conjugatae are all Isogamae, the Myxomycetes all Oogamae, 

 and the Rhodophyceae all Carposporae. Thus it is seen that De 

 Bary has attempted to retain the integrity of the groups which 

 European algologists have generally recognized, and at the 

 same time to make use of Sachs' structural classification. It may 

 be understood from the following diagram : 



Cohn's later attempt was sketched in the June Naturalist of the 

 past year, and Camel's in the October number. We have now 

 another ( Bot. Zeitut/g. Aug. 12, 1881) by Christoph Gobi, cura- 

 tor of the Herbarium of the University of St. Petersburg. This 

 last bears a close resemblance to De Bary's in that Sachs' system 

 is preserved for indicating structural rank ; thus we have the 

 Agamae (Protophyta of Sachs), Isogamae (Zygosporeae of Sachs), 

 Oogamae (Oosporeae of Sachs) and the Carposporese ; further, the 

 genetic series .(or classes) include plants of different structural 

 rank, the Cyanophyceae being mostly Agamae with a doubtful 

 higher representation, the Rhodophyceae all Carposporeae, the 



