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I9I5] CURRENT LITERATURE I65

aecia thatwerestudied. In agreement withothershe findsthatthecellsofthe

centralarchof theperidiumare theapical cells of thecentralsporechainsthat
have, beforetheirmetamorphosis into peridial cells, cut offintercalarycells
below. All of the cells of the peridiumare thereforemorphologically aecio-
spores. An apparentexceptionto this was foundin Peridermium Pini. In
the divisionof theperidiuminitialcells of the centralarchtheusual processis
reversedand the small intercalarycell is cut offabove and the peridialcell
below. A briefdescriptionof the fertilization processesin thisspeciesis given.
Equal cell fusionssimilarto thosefirstdescribedby CHRISTMANwere found.-
F. D. FROMME.
Reciprocal crosses of Oenothera.-DAVIS13 has reported a partial confirma-
tion of the results obtained by DE VRIES from reciprocal crosses between
OenotherabiennisL. and 0. muricataL. The observationsof DAVIS also
include reciprocalcrossesbetween0. biennisL. and 0. franciscanaBartlett,
between0. biennisand 0. grandiflora Solander,and between0. muricataL.
and 0. gigasDe Vries. Detailed,paralleldescriptionsare givenof the parents
and of the pairs of reciprocals,togetherwith numerousphotographsof the
plants in various stages of theirgrowth. Except in the case of the gigas-
muricatacrosses,the reciprocalsof whichwere in generalwithoutimportant
distinguishingcharacters,the reciprocalcrossesexhibitedstrikingcontrasting
differences.In most respectsthe crossescloselyresembledthe pollenparent
(patroclinous),as had been notedearlierby DE VRIESforone of thesecrosses,
but strongmatroclinoustendencieswerealso observed,particularlyin certain
featuresof the inflorescence of the biennis-muricatacrosses. Red coloration
was foundto be whollyor partiallydominantwithoutrespectto whetherit
was contributedby the paternal or maternalparent. Moreover,in all the
crossesobservedby DAVIS, even wherepatroclinousand matroclinoustend-
enciesweremostconspicuous,the influenceof bothparentswas plainlyrecog-
nizable. He has "observedno certainevidencethata morphological character
of eitherspeciesin a crossis passed on to the F. hybridsexactlyas it is repre-
sentedin one or the otherof the parents." This fact,DAVIS notes, would
renderuntenableGOLDSCHMIDT'S assumptionof merogony,even thoughthat
explanationhad not been made doubtfulby the cytologicaldata of RENNER.
No satisfactoryexplanationof these results has been suggested.-R. A.
EMERSON.

Transpirationin succulentplants.-DELF14has made an interesting study

of the transpiration classes of succulentplants,
peculiaritiesof the different
havingcarriedon a numberof experiments and havingendeavoredto organize

13 DAVIS, BRADLEY MOORE, Genetical studies on Oenothera,V. Zeitsch. Ind.

Abst.-u. Vererbungslehre12: i69-205. 19I4.

14 DELF, E. MARION, Transpirationin succulentplants. Ann. Botany 26:409-

442. IgI2.
i66 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [FEBRUARY

in a systematicway the verychaoticliteratureof thesubject. It is concluded

that the chiefstructuralfeaturesof theseplants are connectedwiththe tran-
spiringsurfaceand the accumulationof water. As to the transpiring surface,
thereis a greateror less amountof reduction,supplementedin manycases by
featuresthat tend to diminishtranspiration,such as protectedstomata,
aerialwaterabsorption,wax coats,etc. The formation ofthewatertissuethat
is so characteristicof succulentsseems to be "related to the productionof
organicacids, owing to the influenceof limitedgaseous exchangeon metab-
olism,and to the presenceof chloridesor sulphatesin excessin thesoil water."
DELF agreeswithHOLTERMANN that theseconsiderations do not fullyexplain
succulence,since some plants (as Salicornia) are so farmodifiedas to be obli-
gate halophytes,whereasotherplants (as Aster Tripolium)are facultative
halophytes,and still others(as Suaeda fruticosa)can endure eithersaline or
non-salinehabitatswithoutappreciablestructuralchange. In some cases suc-
culenceis a hereditaryfeature,whereasin othersit is relatedto the conditions
experiencedby the individualshowingit. The author believes that water
tissue in all cases is of advantage in allowinga plant to "support a rate of
waterloss whichis very considerable,relativeto the transpiring surface."-
H. C. COWLES.
The vegetationof Clare Island, Ireland.-A paper by R. L. PRAEGER on
the vascularplantsof Clare Island is but one of a largeseriesof papers,pub-
lishedas Volume3I of the Proceedingsof the Royal Irish Academy.'S The
total numberof papers or parts is 68, thus representing probablythe most
completenaturalhistorysurveyever made of any districtin theworld. The
workhas been carriedon by morethan a hundredspecialists. The thorough-
ness withwhichthe workhas been done is well illustratedby the factthat in
i8 papersthereare recordednearly700 speciesof plantsand animalsnot pre-
viouslyfoundin Ireland,6o not previouslyfoundin the BritishIsles, and I7
speciesthatare new to science.
Clare Island is an exposed headland, embracingsix square miles, and
situatedthreemilesfromthe mainland. The highestpointis iSoo feetabove
the sea. The numberof vascularplantsindigenousto the islandis under400.
The dominatingvegetationtypeis moorland,whichincludespracticallyevery-
thing over 200 feet. On the precipitousCroaghmorecliff,iSoo feethigh,
thereis a remarkablealpine colonyof Io species,some of whichcome down
almostto sea-level. There is a detailedand interestingdiscussionof theorigin
of the flora. Attentionis given to the possibilityof a land bridge. Wind
and birds are regardedas more importantthan water as dispersingagents.

is PRAEGER, R. L., Phanerogamia and Ptcridophyta. Clare Island Survey; a

scientificsurveyof Clare Island, in the countyof Mayo, Ireland, and of the adjoining
parts of the mainland. Proc. Roy. Irish Acad. 3110: I-II2. pis. 6. i9ii. The entire
seriescan be securedfor6os. fromthe Secretary,Royal Irish Academy,Dawson St.,
Dublin.