506 
POPULAR SCIEITCB 
REVIEW. 
BOTANY. 
The Flora of Australia compared icith that of New Caledonia. — In a 
most important paper upon the flora of New Caledonia, M. Brongniart, in 
comparing the results of his own observations with those of Dr. Hooker 
regarding the Australian flora, concludes that there is a marked resemblance 
between the plant-lists of New Holland and New Caledonia. The Australian 
character of the plants examined by him refers principally to the presence of 
several families or natural tribes, which are equally abundant in the two 
countries. Such are (1) tlie myrtacece with capsular fruits, of which there are 
twelve species common to both countries ; (2) the proteaceie, the greater 
number of whose species are found both in New Caledonia and Australia ; 
(3) the epacride£e, of which about fourteen species are common. The whole 
of the plants in the collection received by M. Brongniart were 1,700, arranged 
as follows : — 
Dicotyledons 1,100 } Phanerogams 
Monocotyledons ... 200 | 1,300. 
Acrogens 150 ^ Cryptogams 
Amphigens 250 j 400. 
Vide Compies Bendas, April 3rd. 
Abnormal Structure of the Common Snovjherry. — An abnormal form of the 
snowberry which lately came under the notice of Dr. McAlister is regarded 
by that gentleman as a decided illustration of the law enunciated bj" 
Goethe, that all parts of the plant are modified leaves. When the spe- 
cimen was first exhibited, the Doctor was struck with its appearaiice ; it 
exhibited a raceme of berries in different states of development, the two 
lower being crowned by a circlet of leaves. The plant belongs to the honey- 
suckle order, and has its sepals united to form a confluent calyx, the 
remains of which are persistent on the summit of the berrj^ In Dr. 
McAlister’s specimen, however, their place was taken by ill-developed 
lanceolate foliar organs. When first gathered, each berry Avas croAvned by 
five leaves. These leaves Avere closely connected at the base, and their mid- 
ribs seemed to be connected Avith the AA^oody bundles on the outer coating of 
the berries. 
cc They appear to me,” says the Avriter, to be a modified calycine Avhorl, A\diich 
from their position form a striking illustration of tlie law of morphology, 
as established by Goethe, that all parts of the flower are modified IcaA'^es.” 
Our great botanist, Eobert BroAAui, long ago pointed out a curious fact in 
relation to the ovary of this plant — that in the immature condition it consists 
of four cells, two of AAEich are many-seeded and tAvo single-seeded ; but in 
the mature berry there are only tAvo loculi, which correspond to the one- 
seeded cells, as the many-seeded cells become undeA'^eloped and abortive. — 
Vide The Dublin Quarterly Journal of Science, April, 1865. 
Number of Useful Plants. — Some interesting statistics have lately 
