NOTES AND ABSTRACTS. 



481 



It was a handsome fruit with a large proportion of flesh. No mango 

 weevil was found in these mangos and the result of an attack of this 

 pest on seedless fruits will be watched with interest as it is the seed 

 upon which the larva feeds. The ' Oahu ' is considered worthy of pro- 

 pagation as a basis for breeding towards complete seedlessness. — A. P. 



Mangrove Trees : At what Period of the Year should these be 

 Peeled to obtain Tannin-Bark? By G. Volkens (Not. Konig. 

 Bot. Berlin, vol. v. No. 50, pp. 279-282 ; Jan. 1913). — The examination 

 of mangrove bark from East Africa in 1910 showed that the quantity of 

 tannin contained in the bark was about the same at whatever time 

 of the year or the day the bark had been gathered. The colour which 

 is imparted to the leather varies, however, with the date at which the 

 bark is collected. The barks of Rhizophora and Bruguiera collected 

 towards the end of the year produce a leather which is much lighter 

 in colour and less inclined to a reddish tint than the bark gathered 

 earlier. 



Volkens finds, as a result of his inquiry, that the material which 

 colours the leather red is absent from the bark when the trees are 

 just expanding their leaves, and that consequently (in order to avoid 

 the undesirable red coloration of the leather) this period is the most 

 suitable at which to gather the bark. In East Africa the new leaves 

 are expanded in November and December, but in other parts of the 

 world this process takes place at other times of the year. — R. B. 



Mendelism and Lamarckism. By A. Menuissier (Rev. Hort. 

 July 16, 1912 ; pp. 332-4). — Interesting extracts from Le Bulletin 

 scientifique de la France et de la Belgique relating to a controversy 

 between Dr. Haagedorn, champion of Mendelism, and M. E. Rabaud on 

 .the neo-Lamarckian doctrine. The remark is finally made that 

 while the Mendel theory has led to very practical results, the counter 

 hypotheses have failed to do so. — C. T. D. 



Mesembryanthemum, Leaf Tips of. By Dr. O. Oberstein 

 (Beih. Bot. Cent. Bd. 29, Heft 2, pp. 298-302 ; with 2 plates and 3 

 photographs). — The author describes the anatomical details of the 

 peculiar hairlike papillae (emergences) found on the tips of the leaves 

 of this genus. Similar structures occur in Bruniaceae. He considers 

 that they protect the very young growing leaf from loss of water 

 by evaporation, and that they are not able to absorb water in the form 

 of mist, as has been suggested by others. Later on in life the corky 

 mesophyll takes on this function. The bundle of papillae is especially 

 conspicuous when the leaf is not larger than a composite seed. 



G. F. S. E. 



Mesembryanthemum Pearsonii (Bot. Mag. tab. 8463). — S. 

 Africa. Family Ficoideae, tribe Mesembryeae. Herb, perennial, 

 1J-2 inches high. Leaves 2 connate, ij inch long, if inch wide, 

 thick, flat on inner face, gibbous on outer. Flower solitary. Corolla 

 1 1 inch across, outer petals linear, mauve-purple ; inner smaller, 

 dull yellow, streaked with purple. — G. H. 



