SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE. 



xli 



leaves, crenate, dark green, and profusely veined. The inflorescences, 

 of which each plant produces several, bear many tiers of rather 

 irregular flowers, resembling somewhat a dark form of P. malacoidcs, 

 but borne on inch-long pedicels subtended by linear bracts about 

 one-third inch long. Calyx shortly campanulate ; sepals linear, with 

 scariose edges ; corolla throat inflated. 



Scilla festalis Bulb. — Mr. Bowles showed an elongated bulb of 

 S cilia festalis to draw attention to the manner of growth of the foliage 

 leaves from the base of the bulb. 



The Spur-cap in Pears. — Dr. A. S. Home said : "A little structure 

 which seems to have been overlooked by Dr. Durham in his article 

 relating to the parts of a fruit-tree {Gardeners' Chronicle, December 19, 

 1914), and for which I suggest the name ' spur-cap ' or simply ' cap/ 

 is formed by the abscission of the top of the fruit spur in Pears. It 

 leaves a scar larger than that left by the fruit-stalk or peduncle, and 

 is frequently more irregular in outline and may itself bear the scars of 

 one or more fruit -stalks. A number of spur-caps were shed at Wisley 

 in November 1914, and were collected from the ground, but in some 

 cases the absciss layer is not completely formed and the cap is not 

 shed, and may remain in a shrivelled condition at the top of the spur 

 for a considerable time if the latter remain untended. This matter 

 appears to be of some practical importance for the following reasons : 

 (1) When the spur-cap leaves a ragged scar the internal tissue of the 

 spur below the scar is frequently discoloured, fungus mycelium may 

 enter and cause twig-canker (one infected spur was actually observed, 

 February 15, 1915, and bore the fruits of Nectria cinnabarina) . (2) 

 When the spur-cap is incompletely cut off, the more or less circular 

 gap that separates it from the spur forms an excellent hiding-place for 

 the mycelium of the Pear scab fungus, Venturia pirina, and other pests. 

 This structure does not appear to be shed — in most cases, at any rate — 

 in Apples, though I have seen some so shed in * Manks Codlin.' " 



Scientific Committee, March 2, 1915. 



Mr. E. A. Bowles, M.A., F.L.S., F.E.S., in the Chair, and eight 



members present. 



Leucojum Vagneri. — Mr. W. C. Worsdell, F.L.S., reported that 

 " the entire flowering stem of the Leucojum Vagneri shown at the last 

 meeting is undergoing dichotomy or duplication. This involves the 

 formation by each of four flowers instead of two. In some cases the 

 division is not complete, and the appearance is presented of two pedicels 

 and flowers united together. 



" In some flowers every alternate whorl was 4-merous, thus : P 3+ 4, 

 A3 -f- 4, G (3) . In one plant which bore three flowers only (due to 

 imperfect duplication of the whole) there was reduction to 2-mery in 

 every alternate whorl of the flower, producing 2/5 phjdlotaxis : P 5, 



