ALBERT

Beschreibung: On the 13th of October 1940 I found in the vicinity of a wool- and skinwork in Tilburg (The Netherlands, prov. N. Brabant) a sterile grasstuft, striking me by its peculiar habit. I transplanted it into my garden in Dordrecht and there it was flowering for the first time in June 1941, and in July it was collected to be dried. On the 4th of July 1941 I gathered one more fructifying specimen at the same locality in Tilburg. Doubtless the plant was a Deschampsia and my provisory identification was D. media R. et Sch.. Sending the material with this name to Dr P. Jansen in Amsterdam I got his reply: \xe2\x80\x9dCertainly not D. media. It is a species, unknown to me or, more probably, a variety of D. flexuosa\xe2\x80\x9c.\nThis conclusion, however, seemed unacceptable to me. The habit of the sterile as well as the fertile plant differs strongly from that of D. flexuosa. The tuft is denser and harder, with thicker and shorter leaves. The panicle is longer, wider and more diffuse, the branchlets less flexuous, the culms are relatively short, as long as the panicle or at most 1\xc2\xbd\xe2\x80\x942 times the length of the panicle (in D. flexuosa 4\xe2\x80\x945 times). The characteristics of the flower are decisive. The lower glume is 5 mm long, the upper one 6 mm, both of them overtop the lemma and palea of the enclosed flower (in D. flexuosa the glumes are little different in length and equaling or overtopped by the flowers). The stipe of the upper flower, remaining attached to the lower one, when the spikelet falls asunder, is densily pencilshapedly hirsute and 1.5 mm long (in D. flexuosa 0.6\xe2\x80\x940.8 mm). The upper flower bears a similar stipe of a fully rudimental third flower, in other words: the rachilla is produced behind the upper palea as a hairy bristle. These properties sooner recall D. setacea than D. flexuosa, but the anthers are very small, 0.3\xe2\x80\x940.5 mm long, on much longer filaments (D. setacea has anthers, 1.5 mm long, filaments 0.5 mm, D. flexuosa: anthers 1.8 mm, filaments very short). All this: the habit, the pale green spikelets without any touch of purple, brown or blue, and the small anthers on long filaments justifies a specific differentiation of the Tilburgian wooladventive. I propose to name it, in honour of Dr J. Th. Henrard, whom I owe so much in the field of adventives in general and of Gramineae in particular: Deschampsia Henrardii nov. spec.

Beschreibung: Urelytrum Henrardii Chippindall sp. nov.; ab U. agropyroidei Hack., cui e descriptione affine, culmis gracilibus, foliorum laminis non hirsutis, longe attenuatis, longioribus, racemis flavido-viridibus, spicularum sessilium gluma inferiore 5-nervi, arista breviore distinguendum \xe2\x80\x94 Fig. 1.\nGramen perenne caespitosum, usque ad 92 cm altum. Culmi erecti, simplices, graciles, pauci-nodes, glabri, racemos versus asperuli. Folia plerumque basalia; vaginae internodiis longiores, sublaxae, striatae, apicem versus carinatae, basales glabrae laevesque, superiores pilis patulis laxe pilosae, ore villoso-barbatae; ligulae scariosae, rotundato-obtusae, 0.8\xe2\x80\x941.25 mm longae; laminae lineares, apice tenuiter setaceae, planae vel leviter conduplicatae, usque ad 38 cm longae, 3\xe2\x80\x943.8 mm latae, marginibus scabridis, costis asperulis, pone ligulam pilis longis exceptis glabrae. Racemi ad culmi apicem solitarii, stricti, fragiles, subcylindrici, fere glabri, flavidi vel pallide flavido-virides, saltem 16 cm longi; articuli rhacheos compressi, infimo usque ad 2 cm longo, scaberuli, margine uno superne rigide ciliati, appendice membranacea inaequaliter dentata ciliolata; pedicelli articulis similes, sed appendice minore. Spiculae sessiles biflorae, anguste lanceolato-oblongae, 7.5\xe2\x80\x948.2 mm longae (callo excluso); callus crassus, rotundato-obtusus, basi barbatus. Glumae subaequales, minute punctatae; inferior spiculam aequans, coriacea, marginibus hyalinis, explanata lanceolata, subconvexa, subacuta, 5-nervis, dorso apicem versus parce spinuloso-ciliata, superne bicarnata, carinis angustissime alatis, alis spinuloso-ciliatis; superior inferiore paulo brevior, firme membranacea, marginibus hyalinis apice minute ciliolata, lanceolata, acuta, 3-nervis, superne carinata, carina anguste alata, ala spinuloso-ciliata. Anthoecium inferum \xe2\x99\x82: lemma tenuiter hyalinum, lanceolato-ovatum, 6\xe2\x80\x946.5 mm longum, 2-nerve, minute bidentatum, marginibus apicem versus minute ciliolatum; palea lemmati similis sed angustior et paulo longior; antherae 3 mm longae; lodiculae glabrae. Anthoecium superum \xe2\x99\x80: lemma lemmati anthoecii inferi simile sed 3-nerve, apice latius; palea angustior. Spiculae pedicellatae illis sessilibus absimiles, neutrae, ad glumas lemmaque redactae, sine arista 2\xe2\x80\x942.75 mm longae. Glumae coriaceae, marginibus hyalinis superne ciliolatae, minute punctatae; inferior spiculae aequilonga, lanceolata, 5-nervis, ad carinam superne angustissime alata, ala spinulosociliata, in aristam scabridam 9\xe2\x80\x9412.5 mm longam excurrente; superior inferiore paulo longior, apice integra, obtusa, superne carinata, carina anguste alata, ala spinuloso-ciliata, obscure 5-nervis. Lemma tenuiter hyalinum, parvum.

Beschreibung: In the following account the author of the present paper has endeavoured to compile all available information regarding this interesting member of the Gramineae-Zoysieae.\nAs the genus under consideration has in many cases been incorrectly described, it appeared highly desirable to amend the faults and inaccuracies committed by both the original author of the genus and various subsequent taxonomists. The results of these investigations are being put forward in the following pages.

Beschreibung: As my friend Dr J. Th. Henrard, when young, paid much attention to the adventitious species of Fumaria, I will give here an enumeration of the species found in our country. This genus has been somewhat neglected with us, mainly owing to the fact that the descriptions in our flora\xe2\x80\x99s are not exact, so that the determination was not always easy; the less so as the species are variable in several characters.\nAs I have not much space at my disposal, I will refrain from giving detailed descriptions, but the essential characters I will lay down into the key, so that a correct determination is possible. Minute descriptions are to be found in the splendid works of Mr H. W. Pugsley, which have been a great help to me.

Beschreibung: Fate has knocked at your door. It has reminded you that, as to the years of your life, you are no longer a young man, that your age will be sixty five on the day this little volume will be presented to you.\nTime and fate are inexorable powers. Sometimes the question has occurred to me, whether we have any right to speak of a \xe2\x80\x9cJubilee\xe2\x80\x9d, whether one\xe2\x80\x99s retirement from office or the attainment of high age is something to be gratulated upon, since these events are usually not exactly welcome to the person involved. Yet, I think there cannot be any doubt as to this. For, can there be ever more reason for deep satisfaction and gratitude than when a man may without self-reproach, look back upon an honest and successful life?

Beschreibung: A taxonomic study of the 6 species of Stipa that inhabit desert regions of the Puna de Atacama S. Bomani Haum., S. venusta Phil., S. obtusa [Nees et Mey.] Hitchc., S. rigidiseta [Pilg.] Hitchc., S. saltensis O. Kuntze, and the new species S. Henrardiana) indicates that they constitute a natural group which I designate Obtusae, using as type the species S. obtusa which is the one with priority. The group is characterised by setose leaves, with ligules 3 to 10 mm long, by glumes that are scarious, smooth, depressed and usually unequal, by the fusiform anthoecium with the palea as long as the lemma and by glabrous anthers. These characters reveal a close relationship with Orthachne Nees and Oryzopsis Michx. More detailed studies are necessary to decide the generic relationships.\nSome of the species studied ( S. Bomani and S. saltensis) contain cyanoglucosides in their vegetative organs and consequently are feared by the inhabitants of the Puna as being toxic to livestock.

Beschreibung: Dactyloctenium Henrardianum Bor spec. nov. quae ab omnibus aliis speciebus hujus generis inflorescentia racemosa haud digitata satis recedit.\nAn annual grass. Culms slender, 10\xe2\x80\x9430 cm tall, erect, smooth, glabrous, striate in robust specimens, terete, long-exserted from the uppermost leaf-sheath. Leaf-sheaths strongly keeled, loose, slipping from the culm, much shorter than the internode and leaf-blade, markedly striate, smooth and glabrous except for some bristles from bulbous bases sparsely arranged near the margins in the upper fourth; ligule a lacerate membrane not more than 2 mm long. Leaf-blades up to 10 cm long by 5 mm wide at the base, gradually narrowed into a fine point from the rounded base, very scabrid on the margins which also bear long bulbous-based bristles in the lower third; upper surface smooth; lower surface often with bulbous-based bristles; midrib strongly marked with 2\xe2\x80\x943 prominent parallel veins on either side.

Beschreibung: On October 16th 1946 Dr J. Th. Henrard will have reached the pensionable age of sixty five years. In accordance with the legal prescriptions he is due to take leave officially as keeper of the \xe2\x80\x9dRijksherbarium\xe2\x80\x9c. The present director, Prof. Dr H. J. Lam, invited me to write a short biography of Dr Henrard on this occasion. Having been Henrard\xe2\x80\x99s eldest colleague till 1934 at the institution, I accepted willingly.\nJan Theodoor Henrard was born October 16th, 1881 at Maastricht, where his father, J. B. Henrard, was director of the Weight and Measures Office. There is a legend in the family that the Henrards originated from the Vend\xc3\xa9e (in France) as descendants of a Huguenot-refugee. Owing to this duties J. B. Henrard was often transferred with his family from one locality to the other; his children got their education in different towns of the country. Jan visited the elementary school at Maastricht. The secundary school he followed at Zwolle and Leeuwarden respectively. At Zwolle he made the acquaintance of two well-known Dutch florists, Lako, a teacher at the secundary school and Carmiggelt, an official at his fathers office. From them Jan gathered already an extensive knowledge of the Dutch flora. His final high school certificate he got at Sneek on August 10th, 1901 (Diploma H. B. S.).

Beschreibung: Peculiarities in leaf anatomy support the opinion that the name Triodia R. Br. should be confined to the Australian species. The leaves of species of Plectrachne Henr. are quite different from those of Triraphis mollis, though formerly included in this genus, but are remarkably similar to those of Triodia.

Beschreibung: A few years ago Prof. Dr W. Martin, at the time director of the Gallery of prints and drawings at Leyden, drew my attention to an oilpainting at Prof. J. N. Bakhuizen van den Brink\xe2\x80\x99s, 40 Rapenburg, Leyden. This painting (size 95 X 68 cm), which is owned by the Leyden University Fund, shows a peculiar group of flowering exotic plants, to which a few mushrooms, a snake, a lizard and some butterflies are added, and on the right side in the back-ground a view on a river or a lake. In the lower right hand corner the painting is signed Lau. Vinn. Prof. Martin concluded from this that it was one of the Haarlem painters Van der Vinne who made it. The most plausible inference seemed to look upon the senior Laurens van der Vinne (1658\xe2\x80\x941729), a well-known Dutch painter of flowers, as the maker. However, a closer investigation learnt that this was not correct.\nWhen Prof. Martin showed me the picture, I got the impression that I had seen a few of the drawings of the individual plants before. Looking through the plate collections of the \xe2\x80\x9cRijksherbarium\xe2\x80\x9d it appeared that this impression was right. These collections, namely, contain water-colours of the 4 species of Proteaceae figured in the painting and moreover a water-colour of the specimen of Sprekelia formosissima. All these once belonged to the Leyden professor Adriaan van Royen. The water-colour of Sprekelia formosissima is signed \xe2\x80\x9cLaurens van der Vinne Pinxcit 1736\xe2\x80\x9d. It is quite probable that this beautiful drawing, together with those of the Proteaceae, were used by Van der Vinne in composing his picture. Besides, it became evident that it was not the senior but the junior Van der Vinne who must be considered the painter, as the former died already in 1729 and the painting must have been made in 1736 or later.