Hermann Graf zu Solms-Lauhach. 



XXI 



seem the most promising line of research, altliough we are informed by Jost 

 that Soluis knew Mendel's work well, long before its rediscovery in 1900. 



In other connections, however, Solms showed a keen interest in the 

 question of the origin of species. His studies on Cruciferse, for example, 

 started with the description of Capsdla Helgeri (1900), a form with indehiscent 

 fruits, which, on the ground of cultural experiments, he regarded as a mutant 

 of the common C. Bursa-pastoris. 



His interesting and original treatise on the geography of plants (1905) 

 opens with a discussion of the origin of new forms, in which he shows 

 himself much influenced by the views of IN^ageli, a writer whose theories on 

 the subject have never much appealed to evolutionists in this country. The 

 latter part of the book, dealing directly with distribution, and based largely 

 on his own observations in the field, is of much higher value. 



In addition to the work on parasites already mentioned, Solms carried out 

 a number of morphological researches extending to all classes of plants. 

 Among Fungi, he published on JStnpusa (1869), Penwilliopsis and Ustilayo 

 (1886), but his works on Alga3 are of far greater importance. Quite early, in 

 1867, he elucidated the reproduction of Batrachospermiim, and founded the 

 genus Janczeiusldu , for some very remarkable epiphytic Florideans. In his 

 monograph of the Corallineae of the Gulf of Naples (1881), he cleared up the 

 complicated reproductive processes in this important family. At a later 

 date he extended his researches to calcareous Algte of widely different 

 affinities (Siphonete), publishing in 1892 a paper on the genera Gymofolia, 

 JSfeomcris, and Bornetella, while in 1895 the Linnean Society of London had 

 the honour of bringing out his n)onograph of the Acetabularieae, a most 

 important work, dealing with fossil as well as recent forms, and the only 

 memoir of his published in this country, and in English. 



Among the Bryophyta, he wrote on some of the less known families of 

 Marcliantiaceae (1897 and 1899), and, of recent vascular Cryptogams, he 

 investigated Psilotum (1884), especially its propagation by gemmae, and, in 

 later years, the branching of Isoetes (1902). His paper on the morpho- 

 logical construction of Stangeria and other Cycads (1890) is well known, 

 and of equal importance for recent and fossil botany. Of his morphological 

 researches on Angiosperms, that on monocotyledonous embryos with an 

 apical growing point (1878) is of quite special interest. 



Physiology he scarcely touched on, unless we put under this head obser- 

 vations on the occurrence of calcium oxalate in the cell-wall (1871). 



We now come to Solms' work in Fossil Botany, the field in which he 

 undouljtedly exercised the strongest influence. Some interesting remarks by 

 Prof. Nathorst on Sdlms' position as a palasobotanist are quoted in Prof. 

 Jost's obituary notice. Prof. Nathorst points out that the leading idea in 

 all Solms' work on the subject is that fossil, like recent plants, have to be 

 considered from a purely botanical point of view. Previous writers, to 

 use Solms' own expression, " had to serve two masters, Palceontology and 

 Botany." In Solms' liandbook the botanical results are treated independently. 



