ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
365 
Cortical Bundles in Genista.* — M. W. Russell states that in certain 
plants tlie foliar bundles, instead of passing directly from the central 
cylinder of the stem to the leaves, pass along in the cortex for several 
internodes. The author shows this to be the case in several species 
of the genus Genista. 
Elliptically wound Tracheids.f — Mr. P. H. Dudley describes struc- 
tures to which he gives this designation, and which he finds in trees 
growing in dense forests, where, for want of light, the lower branches 
die, are attacked by fungi, break off, and the scar is overgrown ; the 
main purpose served is protection from the further attacks of fungi. 
Anatomy of Saxifragacese.iJ — M. M. Thouvenin has made an ex- 
haustive examination of the comparative anatomy of the Saxifragaceae, 
which he divides into ten tribes, viz. : — Saxifragaceae, Francoeae, Cuno- 
nieae, Hydrangeae, Brexieae, Escallonieae, Ribesieae, Hamamelideae, Brunieae, 
and Cephaloteae. Each of these ten tribes is treated separately, but 
their distinguishing anatomical characters are few, and subject to many 
exceptions. The only anatomical character which is common to the 
whole order is a negative one, the absence of an internal phloem. As a 
general rule, but subject to exceptions, the stomates are surrounded by 
irregularly arranged cells ; the mechanical (i.e. the non-glandular) hairs 
are unicellular, there is no differentiated secreting system, and the 
deposits of calcium oxalate are in the form of rhomboidal prisms rather 
than of raphides. The affinities of the Saxifragaceae with other orders 
are discussed, especially with the Crassulaceae, Caprifoliaceae, Rhamnaceae, 
and Rosaceae. 
(4) Structure of Org-ans. 
Morphology and Phylogeny of Gymnosperms.§ — From an exami 
nation of a number of species belonging to different families, Dr. L. 
Celakovsky concludes that the female flowers of the Gymnosperms are 
always borne in the axils of scales (Deckblatter), and are arranged in 
spikes, the number in a spike varying greatly ; only in GingJco are there 
also subtending leaves and bracts (Niederblatter). Only in the Taxeas 
does the flowering shoot possess two or three pairs of scale-like bracts 
(Vorblatter). The flowering shoot is limited, and has no growing point 
or growing cone; what has hitherto been taken for this is a sterile 
carpid. The number of carpids in a flower varies between one and nine, 
three being the most common number, of which the central one is sterile 
and abortive ; in the Podocarpeae and Daramareae there is usually only one. 
The ovule has either a double integument, or a single one the whole of 
which is homologous to the double one ; and such ovules are therefore 
not strictly monochlamydeous. The carpid developes into a single ovule 
by reduction from cycad-like polymerous carpids. 
Structure of the Rhizophorese.|| — Herr G. Karsten describes the 
structure of the mangrove-vegetation of the Dutch East Indies, consisting 
* Bull. Soc. Bot. France, xxxvii. (1890) pp. 133-5. 
f Journ. New York Micr. Soc., vi. (1890) pp. 110-4 (4 figs.). 
i Ann. Sci. Nat. (Bot.), xii. (1890) pp. 1-174 (22 pis.). 
§ Abh. Bohm. Gesell. Wiss., viii, 148 pp. See Oesterr. Bot. Zeitsckr., xli. 
(1891) p. 14. 
|| Ber. Deutsch. Bot. Gesell., viii. (1890) Gen -Versamml. Heft, pp. 49-56 (1 pi.). 
1891. 2 C 
