ALBERT

Description: Prom a number of Ginkgo trees kernels were examined. The investigation of the variability of the material was greatly favoured by the large number of stones, in total about 4700. In addition, one tree, grown in the Botanic Garden at Leyden, supplied the material for an investigation of the variability of the female “flowers”, in total about 1700. 1. The number of female “flowers” or rather macrosporangiophores on the brachyblasts (short shoots) proved to be most variable, showing a correlation with the age of the shoot (Table I, fig. 1). 2. A subdivision of the macrosporangiophores into a series of types proved to be possible (Table II, fig. 2-3). 3. A certain relation between the shape of the macrosporangiophore and the shape of the leafy organs from whose axil it arises, was stated. Here again the age of the brachyblasts plays a part. It should be emphasized that the term “abnormality” is misleading. A great number of so-called abnormalities in the macrosporangiophores of Ginkgo prove to form part of a normal series of gradating variations (Table III, fig. 4). 4. There proved to be a relation between the shape of the seed and the shape of the kernels (fig. 5). Oblong seeds give long, pointed stones, while pear-shaped seeds contain club-shaped kernels. Furthermore very small seeds with normally shaped, but very small stones were found. Finally seeds are found in which the pollen-chamber is situated laterally instead of apically. In these seeds the stone is abnormal in shape, its sclerotesta mostly being incompletely lignified. 5. A further point of investigation was the length of the seed stalk (Table IV, fig. 6). This shows a considerable variation, the Leyden material possessing very short seeds stalks, while the Maastricht material had intermediate, that from Slikkerveer long stalks. 6. Finally the variation of the shape of the kernel was investigated. First of all a subdivision into stones with 1, 2, 3 or 4 ribs was made (Table V). The Leyden tree produced relatively many stones of the first group, but four-ribbed kernels are very rare, two- and three-ribbed ones being in the majority. The ratio two-ribbed stones: three-ribbed stones proved to be ± 3 (Table VI). It is probable that the material of Affourtit and La Rivière has been subject to some sort of selection, on account of which their results are not fully trustworthy. 7. There proved to be a strong variation in the angles between the ribs in two- and three-ribbed seed stones (Tables VII and VIII). In the two-ribbed kernels a tendency towards angles of 180° was stated (fig. 7), the most frequent shape being that of the kernel of a prune. 8. The graphic expression of the variability of three-ribbed stones presented some difficulties. To their solution Bakhuis Roozeboom’s triangle-method was chosen (figs 8-11). The most important result is the extreme rarity of regular seedstones with three angles of about 120° (Table IX). 9. It is certainly very remarkable that so ancient a plant as Ginkgo biloba shows such a variability in so many respects.

Description: Some years ago I treated a number of species of the genus Axonopus in Blumea IV, p. 510. Among them was Axonopus Fockei Henr., based upon Mez’s Paspalum Fockei, which was published in Fedde’s Repertorium XV, 1917, p. 62. I mentioned Ule’s number 8022 as identified by Mez himself being his Paspalum Fockei.

Description: Now that the war in Europe is over it seems appropriate, before returning to our regular duties, to devote soms words to the fate and the activities of our institution during that period. For Dutch readers many particulars may be found in the “Jaarverslagen” (Annual Reports) ; for sister-institutions abroad the following points may be of some interest. First of all it may be stated with deep gratitude that the National Herbarium of Holland has suffered no severe losses in man or material during the war.

Description: In one of his papers on Malaysian Orchids R. Schleehter (1911) expresses his surprise that the flora of Celebes, though promising so much from a phytogeographical point of view, is very little known in comparison with that of the Philippines and Java and even with that of Borneo. In 1926 E. D. Merrill repeated this assumption with little less emphasis, and it is, indeed, still holding good even nowadays. I am not able to tell the reason why Celebes has been so much neglected in this respect, though it has been given ample attention by zoogeographers. Yet, botanical exploration has been carried out ever since the French scientific world cruises of the “Astrolabe” (1828) and the “Astrolabe” and the “Zelee” (1839). The more important collections have been enumerated in the “Appendix” to the present paper and among these the most outstanding ones are those made by the Neth. – Indian Forestry Service and by such individual collectors as Forsten (1840, N), Zollinger (1847, SW and Salajar), Teysmann and De Vriese (1860, N), Teysmann (1877, SW and Salajar), Warburg (1888, SW), Koorders (1894—’95, N), P. and F. Sarasin (1893—’96 and 1902—’03, all parts), Elbert (1909, SE), Schleehter (1910, N), Van Vuuren (1912—’14, SW, C, SE), Docters van Leeuwen (1913, Salajar, etc.), Kaudern (1917—’20, SE, C, E, N), Bunnemeyer (1921, SW), Lam (1926, Talaud), Kjellberg (1929—’30, SW, SE), Eyma (1938, C, E) and Monod de Froideville (1937—’39, SW, C, SE).

Description: In a previous number of this volume (Blumea V, nr. 1, 1942, p. 66—80), one of the junior writers of the present paper published an account of nomenclatorial changes concerning javanese Verbenaceae. This paper was written as a supplement to a larger work by the senior writer, who has for long years devoted most of his activities to the study of the flora of Java, on which it was his privilege to publish some more or less extensive papers, all of them in the Dutch language 2). These publications may be considered materials for a Flora of Java. In fact, some of them have the character and even the title of such a flora, though on account of several circumstances none of them could be completed. Since the senior writer had retired from his official duties, an attempt was made to fill up this gap. For this purpose numerous scattered annotations were sorted and a start was made with the design of a reviewed and complete Flora of Java, again in Dutch. However, it soon became evident that this work was too extensive a task for a single man of my age and I therefore requested the help of the director of the Rijksherbarium at Leiden. Through his kind mediation the collaboration was procured of some junior assistants. In the first phase of the work financial support to this end was kindly granted, first by the “Maatschappij ter Bevordering van het Natuurkundig Onderzoek der Nederlandsche Koloniën” and afterwards also by the “Korthalsfonds”, managed by the Royal Netherlands’ Academy of Sciences at Amsterdam and by “Greshoff’s Rumphiusfonds”. Prof. Dr A. A. Pulle, Utrecht, kindly took an interest in this work and lent his intermediary in procuring the greater part of the necessary funds. In a later stage, however, also the Government could be convinced of the importance of this work and of a rapid rate of its progress and first one, later on two assistants were added to the Staff of the Rijksherbarium with the special instruction to assist me in my work. Recently a third assistant was appointed at the Botanical Museum and Herbarium of the Utrecht University. I take pleasure to avail myself of this opportunity to tender my best thanks to Dr Pulle and to Dr Lam for their kind collaboration, as well as to the Societies and Foundations, whose generous help in the earlier phases of the work appeared to be vital for starting it.

Description: The following notes are mainly based upon a small but interesting collection of plants, made in 1937—1939 by Mr C. Monod de Froideville, Civil Service Officer in the Netherlands Indies, during his extensive trips in the southern and central parts of the island of Celebes. His hobby was the study of Leguminosae and about half of his collection consists of representatives of that natural order. For several reasons, however, they have been left out of the present paper, for one thing since Mr Monod is intending to deal with them later on himself, a task, which circumstances unfortunately prevent him from accomplishing at present; and secondly since they promise geographically less important results than most other families, many of them being anthropochorous. However, beside Leguminosae, Mr Monod collected a good many other plants and though some of his material was necessarily scanty on account of the fact that the proper purpose of his trips lay outside purely botanical observations, it contains enough remarkable specimens, especially from the practically unknown interior of Central Celebes (Mt. Mamboeliling), to justify a record of them. Mr Monod has proved to be a keen observer and a thorough amateur botanist and geologist. Several of the specimens had been provisorily checked by Dr C. G. G. J. van Steenis, Buitenzorg, which was a great help in their final identification. Regarding this, it was my good fortune to win the help of several specialists in identifying specimens belonging to families falling within the scope of their special study. Thus I am indebted to the following investigators for their kind collaboration: Miss Dr G. J. H. Amshoff (Utrecht): Urticaceae. Dr R. C. Bakhuizen van den Brink (Leiden) : Melastomataceae. Dr C. E. B. Bremekamp (Bilthoven) : Acanthaceae, Rubiaceae. Dr J. Th. Henrard (Leiden) : Graminead. Dr F. P. Jonker (Utrecht) : Burmanniaceae. Miss Dr J. Th. Koster (Leiden) : Compositae. Dr S. J. van Ooststroom (Leiden)': Convolvulaceae, Violaceae. Dr J. J. Smith (Oegstgeest) : Orchidaceae. Dr H. Uittien † (Deventer) : Cyperaceae.

Description: Planta parva. Caules erecti, tenues, basi tantum ramosi, basi radicantes, c. 23 cm longi, inferne vaginati, superne 3—4-foliati. Folia erecto-patentia, lanceolata, acuminata, acutissima, basi acuta, nervis 5 majoribus sicco subtus et etiam supra prominentibus pluribusque tenuibus, sicco membranacea, ad c. 8—12 cm longa, 1.85—2.2 cm lata, ultimum multo angustius; vagina elongata, tubulosa, prominenter nervosa. Inflorescentia terminalis, erecta, simplex, densissime multiflora, quaquaversa, pedunculo c. 3 cm longo, inferne vagina folii ultimi incluso, superne vaginula lineari c. 3 cm longa donato, rachide c. 1.2 cm longa. Bracteae valde approximatae, patentissimae vel subpatentissimae, e basi triangula longe subulato-lineari-acuminatae, 5-nerviae, ad c. 0.7 cm longae, basi dilatata fere 0.3 cm longa 0.25 cm lata, superiores minores. Flores patentes, non resupinati, c. 0.75 cm longi, sepalis petalisque divergentibus. Sepalum dorsale cum ovario angulum obtusum faciens, incurvulum, oblongum, apicem versus angustatum, obtusum, concavum, parte inferiore dorso parce patentissime puberulum, 3-nervium, c. 0.65 cm longum, 0.225 cm latum. Sepala lateralia marginibus anticis c. 1/3 longitudinis connata atque rotundato-saccata, divergentia, 2/5 partibus superioribus recurvula, oblique oblonga, subsigmoidea, apice angustata, acutiuscula, valde concava, dorso nonnullis pilis brevibus inspersa, 3-nervia, costa media dorso incrassata, c. 0.64 cm longa, 0.2 cm lata. Petala oblique elliptica, subfalcatula, obtiuscula, canaliculato-concava, 3-nervia, costa media dorso valde incrassata inter sepala prominente et pilis raris inspersa, c. 0.6 cm longa, 0.25 cm lata. Labellum cum ovario angulum obtusum faeiens, gynostemio parallelum, valde concavum, 2/5 partibus superioribus valde recurvum, apice incurvulum, subtus alte sulcatum, intus valde 3-costatum, costa intermedia in 1/3 supra basin terminante, costis exterioribus intramarginalibus in bene 2/3 supra basin arcuato-incurvis et terminantibus, inexplanatum c. 0.475 cm longum, explanatum ambitu quinquangulari-ovatum, infra medium utrinque leviter obtusangule dilatatum, apice in laminam triangulam obtusam crenulatam contractum, 3-nervium, totum fere 0.6 cm longum, fere 0.4 cm latum, lamina 0.15 cm longa, 0.175 cm lata. Gynostemium cum ovario angulum obtusum faciens, rectum, apicem versus paulum incrassatum, dorso convexum, c. 0.375 cm longum, clinandrio concavo, subquadrangulo cum costa longitudinali. Anthera conspicua, cucullata, cordata, acuta, lobulis basilaribus brevissimis rotundatis, connectivo convexo-costiformi, fere 0.25 cm longa. Pollinia 2, clavata, sulcata, cum stipite longo lineari et glandula parva oblonga fere 0.3 cm longa. Rostellum porrectum, e basi lata acuminatum, acute bidentatum. Stigma margine inferiore semirotundatum productumque. Ovarium 6-sulcatum, pilis raris brevibus inspersum, c. 0.45 cm longum. Soemba: In the eastern part, Maoemaroe, in forest. (Iboet n. 425, 7 May 1925; “flowers white”).

Description: Neuwiedia (sect. Euneuwiedia) Griffithii Rehb.f. Xenia Orch. II (1874), 215; Rolfe in Journ. Linn. Soc. XXV (1890), 235, 241, t. XLVIII, fig. 2—9; in Orch. Rev. II (1894), 276; IV (1896), 329; Hook. f. Fl. Br. Ind. VI (1890), 176; in Bot. Mag. CXXI (1895), t. 7425; Krzl. Orch. I (1897), 4; Pfitz. in Pflanzenr. IV. 50 (1903), 5; Ridl. in Journ. Linn. Soc. XXXII (1896), 416; Mat. Fl. Mal. Penins. I (1907), 231; Fl. Mal. Penins. IV (1924), 296. Planta in genere parva. Caulis erectus, rigidus, teres, dilute viridis, c. 14 cm longus, 0.63 cm diam., c. 10-folius. Folia erecto-patentia, recurva, lanceolata, sensim longe et acutissime acuminata, basi acuta sensim in petioluin contracta, plicaita, nervis c. 7 subtus prominentibus, nervis tenuioribus alternantibus, papyracea, utrinque nitidule viridia, c. 18.5— 22 cm longa, 4—5 cm lata, summa minora; petiolus latus, canaliculatus, 3-costatus, cum vagina tubulosa antice basi excepta rumpente c. 5.5—6.5 cm longus. Inflorescentia erecta, foliis multo brevior, subdense multiflora, cylindrica, pedunculo hirtello, atroviridi, c. 4 cm longo, nonnullis vaginulis in bracteas vergentibus donato, rachide angulato-cylindrica, patentissime hirtella, atroviridi, c. 6.5 cm longa. Bracteae patentes, incurvulae, e basi ovata sensim longe subulato-acuminatae, anguste obtusae, basi rachidem semiamplectentes, praesertim basi concavae, dorso et margine hirtellae, 3-nerviae, virides, ad c. 1.4 cm longae, superiores minores. Flores quaquaversi, parvuli, patentes, nutantes, sepalis dorso patentissime superne patenter strigillosis petalisque conniventibus, concavis, tenuibus, albis, pallide flavescenti-apiculatis. Sepalum dorsale ellipticum, apiculo tereti strigilloso, valde concavum, totum c. 0.83 cm longum, apiculo 0.05 cm, 0.4 cm latum. Sepala lateralia oblique ovato-elliptiea, apice cucullatoobtusa cum apiculo recto tereti-subulato strigilloso 0.08 cm longo, concava, costa media dorso convexo-incrassata, tota c. 0.87 cm longa, 0.375 cm lata. Petala late elliptico-obovata, obtusa, apice vix cucullata, basi margine antico vix unguiculato-contraeta, concava, costa media dorso valde incrassata strigosaque apice in apiculum brevem producta in praefloratione inter sepala prominente, c. 0.8 cm longa, 0.525 cm lata. Labellum a gynostemio subrectangule patens et recurvulum, supra basin obtusangule incurvum, stigma paululum superans, valde concavum, explanatum cuneato-angulato-obovatum, apice cucullato-obtusissimum, ungue cuneato excepto leviter crispulum et erosulum, basi intus valde convexoincrassatum, costa media dorso valde prominente et strigosa apice in apiculum incurvulum teretem hirtellum producta, fere 0.8 cm longum, mucrone 0.05 cm longo, 0.6 cm latum. Gynostemium totum c. 0.62 cm, usque ad apicem antherarum 0.4 cm longum. Stamina 3, glabra, inferne cum stylo in columnam rotundato-trigonam supra subtusque 2-sulcatum, c. 0.13 cm longam connata, superne divergentia, filamenti dorsalis pars libera a dorso compressa, oblonga, vix flavescenti-alba, c. 0.1 cm longa; filainentorum lateralium pars libera dorsali similis, 0.13 cm longa; antherae conniventes, fere basifixae, introrsae, praesertim dorsalis valde incurvae, cordatae, apicem versus paululum angustatae, late obtusae, lobis basilaribus obtusis, dorso valde convexae cum sulco levi longitudinali, crassae, vix flaveseenti-albae, dorsalis fere c. 2 cm longa, 0.14 cm lata, laterales bene 0.2 cm longae, 0.175 cm latae. Stylus undatus, teres, leviter clavatus, apice (stigmate) obtusus et papillosus, albus, basi dilute. sulphureus, totus c. 0.6 cm, parte libera 0.525 cm longus. Ovarium pedieellatum curvulum, rotundato-trigonum, patentissime strigillosum, pedicello apicem versus incrassato, pallide viridi, c. 0.33 cm longo, ovario trigono-ellipsoideo, viridi, c. 0.4 cm longo, fere 0.3 cm diam., apice in rostrum apice obliquum pallide viride dorso c. 0.275 cm longum contractum.