208 
SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
A similar elongation of the embryo-sac takes place in many Santa- 
laceae, as Santalum, Osyris, and Thesium, in Groutia among the Olacinem, 
and in other Loranthacem. 
The mode of germination resembles that in Viscum. 
Fertilization of the Vine.* — In continuation of his previous experi- 
ments on this subject, Herr E. Eathay gives a number of very interest- 
ing results, of which the following are some of the more important : — 
If the inflorescences of the female plants of the vine are protected 
from xenogamy, and the impregnation is confined to autogamy or seito- 
nogamy (impregnation by pollen from other flowers of the same 
inflorescence), the flowers always wither soon after expanding ; but, 
if impregnated xenogamously by the pollen of male or hermaphrodite 
individuals, normal bunches of grapes are produced. The inflorescences 
of hermaphrodite individuals, on the other hand, develope into normal 
bunches by seitonogamy and autogamy, or by the latter alone, if xeno- 
gamy alone, or both xenogamy and seitonogamy, are prevented. The 
author confirms Delpino’s observation that the hypogynous nectaries 
produce abundance of honey. The distance of the hermaphrodite from 
the female flowers makes no difl'erence in their fertilizing power. 
With regard to Vitis vinifera, the seedlings of wild grapes are nearly 
always either male or female, very rarely hermaphrodite ; while those of 
cultivated grapes are partially hermaphrodite. Seedlings of Vitis riyaria 
and of American grapes gave somewhat different results. The general 
conclusion drawn is that there belong properly to the grape-vine only 
two diflerent kinds of individuals, one of which is purely female, the 
other male, hermaphrodite, or intermediate, according to the degree of 
development of the pistil ; these two kinds differ, from one another 
in their inflorescence as well as in their individual flowers. Barrenness 
of the female flowers may be caused by the cap (calyx) remaining 
permanently attached. Pollination may be effected either by the wind 
or by insects. 
Sexuality of Lychnis vespertma.f — M. A. Magnin gives a detailed 
account of the structure of the different sexual forms of this plant, and 
of the deformations caused by the attacks of Ustilago antlierarum. The 
male and female plants are essentially different forms, differing not only 
in the presence or absence of the sexual organs, but also in size (the 
male plants being smaller), in the venation of the calyx, &c. Herma- 
phrodite individuals are simply female plants in which stamens are 
produced by the presence of Ustilago anthe7'arum. In the male plants 
this parasite causes only a slight deformation of the anthers, and usually 
mesostemony or brachystemony, while in the female plants it brings 
aP,out : — (1) The production of stamens as the only organ in which its 
spores can develope; (2) atrophy of the style and upper part of the 
ovary ; (3) a greater or less elongation of the internode between calyx 
and corolla, this being also characteristic of the male plant. It also 
* ‘Die Geschlechtsverhaltnisse der Keben,’ Theil ii., 8vo, Wien, 1889, viii. and 
92 pp., 3 pis., and 8 tigs. See Bot. Centralbl., xxxix. (1889) p. 380. Cf. this 
Journal, 1889, p. 249. 
t ‘ Reel), sur le polymorph israe . . . de X//c/m/s Lyon, 1889, 30 pp., 
2 pis., and 8 figs. See Bot. Centralbl., xl. (1889) p. 18G. Cf. this Journal, 1889, 
p. 412. 
