146 
Notes . 
With regard to the affinities of this singular plant, I think it is 
better placed in Verbenaceae than Solanaceae. 
W. BOTTING HEMSLEY, Kew. 
[While the foregoing paragraph was in the printers hands, (he 
March number of the Berichte der deutschen botanischen Gesellschaft 
was received ; and it contains an article of twenty pages by Dr. 
Solereder, ‘ Ueber die Versetzung der Gattung Melananthus, Walp. 
von den Phrymaceen zu den Solanaceen/ Dr. Solereder has 
independently recognised the generic identity of Mela?ianthus and 
Microschwenkia , but in the absence of material, he has retained the 
Guatemalan plant as distinct. Further, as the result of a very full and 
minute investigation, he comes to the conclusion that Melananthus is 
a genuine Solanacea, and most nearly allied to Schwenkia. 
W. B. H.] 
ON THE NUCLEI OF THE HYMEN OMY CETES h — 
The following is a preliminary account of some observations upon the 
structure of, and changes which take place in, the nuclei of the basidia 
of Agar tens ( Stropharia ) stercorarius . 
The young basidia of A. stercorarius , and of other species of 
Agarici which I have examined, contain two nuclei together with a 
small quantity of protoplasm enclosing one or two. vacuoles. These 
nuclei appear to pass into the basidium from the hymenial hyphae. 
At a very early stage the two nuclei fuse together to form a single 
large nucleus, which is placed near the centre of the basidium. 
The basidium increases in size, the vacuoles disappear, and it 
becomes filled with a dense granular protoplasm which is stained 
deeply by the ordinary stain, haematoxylin, carmine, &c., the nucleus 
increases in size with the basidium and finally takes up a position 
near the apex of the basidium. 
The structure of the nucleus is similar to that of the higher plants. 
It consists of a nuclear membrane enclosing a dense nucleolus, and a 
threadlike network. The nucleolus stains very deeply, the threads 
slightly, and by the ordinary methods of staining are difficult to dis- 
tinguish from the protoplasm. 
The nuclei vary in size, generally speaking they are from 3*5 to 
1 Abstract of paper read at the Cardiff meeting of the British Association, 1891. 
