ALBERT

Description: Protium Pullei Swart n.sp. Arbor circ. 12 m alta. Ramuli robusti 4 mm diam. teretes glabri fusci lenticellis oblongis ferrugineis muniti. Folia trifoliolata 17 (16—21) cm longa glabra, petiolis robustis semiteretibus 4.5 cm longis basi incrassatis demum transverse rimosis, petiolulis semiteretibus robustis utrinque subincrassatis 1 cm longis sed terminalibus 2.25 cm longis, foliolis oblongo-ellipticis II (7.5—13) cm longis 5 (3.75—5.5) cm latis, apice abruptius acuminatis, acumine sublineari 8 (5—10) mm longo 2.5 (2—3) mm lato, basi cuneata, margine integro, coriaceis utrinque nitidis laevibus supra glaucescentis infra viridis, nervis secundariis utrinque II, nervis prim. et sec. utrinque prominentibus. Inflorescendae axillares breves pauce ramosae pauciflorae circ. 1 cm longae. Ramuli teretes striati cum pedicellis teretibus flore aequilongis bracteis bracteolisque triangularibus obtusis densiuscule puberulis. Flores 5-meri glabri. Calyx cupuliformis lobis oblongo-triangularibus acutis tubo aequilongis. Petala valvata oblongo-triangularia acuto apiculo inflexo carnosa. Stamina 10. Discus 10-lobis glaber. Pistillum glabrum, ovario late ovoideo stigmate 5-lobo coronato. Type: Maguire 24784 in herb. NY, 17 Sept. 1944, Suriname, Tafelberg, mixed transition high-low bush, 5 km S.W. of Savanna I.

Description: Zeer geachte Toehoorderessen en Toehoorders, Bij het beginnen van een wetenschappelijk onderzoek zal meestal degene die zich daaraan gezet heeft, allereerst het antwoord dienen te vinden op enkele fundamentele vragen. Zijn deze primaire vragen beantwoord, dan is de weg gebaand voor verder onderzoek en voor algemene theoretische beschouwingen. Deze fundamentele vragen zijn echter niet voor elke onderzoeker en ook niet voor elk onderzoek in een zelfde tak van wetenschap steeds gelijk. Dit hangt af van vele factoren, zoals: uiteindelijk doel van de studie, aard van het materiaal, geaardheid vooral van de onderzoeker, enz. Vandaag wil ik met U behandelen de hoofdvragen, die zich bij mij, voor de aan mij toevertrouwde onderdelen van de botanie steeds op de voorgrond plaatsen en de wijze waarop ik die beantwoorden pleeg te interpreteren voor het verdere onderzoek. Hierdoor zal ik tevens de gelegenheid hebben, om aan te stippen in welke richting wij op het gebied van de bijzondere plantkunde en de plantengeografie nog onderzoekingen kunnen verrichten, die ons inzicht in het geheel aanmerkelijk kunnen verruimen. Voor ik met mijn eigenlijke onderwerp begin, moet ik toch iets zeggen over wat „bijzondere plantkunde” is. Ik zal er niet te veel over uitweiden, daar, zoals Koningsberger en Reinders in het voorwoord van het eerste deel van het Leerboek der Algemeene Plantkunde terecht opmerken, de scheiding tussen „algemene” en „bijzondere” plantkunde uiteraard onscherp is. Volgens de letter van de gebruikelijke terminologie zou eigenlijk alles wat niet „algemeen” is thuis horen onder de bijzondere plantkunde. Zover wil ik niet gaan, want dat zou mijn taak wel heel omvangrijk maken en afgezien van het feit dat het buiten mijn kunnen zou komen te vallen, denk ik ook dat mijn collega voor de algemene plantkunde ernstige bezwaren zou maken indien ik datgene van de plantenphysiologie dat zeker niet algemeen is te noemen, voor mijzelf zou gaan opeisen. Ik wil daarom beginnen de physiologie, hoe bijzonder deze hier en daar ook moge zijn, maar onmiddellijk in zijn geheel bij de algemene plantkunde te plaatsen. Voor de rest zou ik mijn bovengenoemde definitie, dus „bijzonder” is alles wat niet „algemeen” is, in grote trekken willen volgen, met dien verstande dat ik mij natuurlijk wil houden aan de veelal gebruikelijke taakverdeling, zodat b.v. de „algemene” morphologie en anatomie van de Angiospermen, die in feite in het plantenrijk als geheel, „bijzonder” is, bij de „algemene plantkunde” wordt ondergebracht. De speciale en vergelijkende morphologie van deze groep reken ik echter zeer zeker tot de mij toegewezen tak van wetenschap. Ook de afgrenzing met de genetica is niet scherp. Indien men elk onderzoek waarbij niet uitsluitend op het phaenotype maar ook op het genotype gelet wordt, tot de genetica wil rekenen, dan zal de betrekkelijk jonge experimentele plantensystematiek of biosystematiek geen deel kunnen uitmaken van de bijzondere plantkunde. De genetici zullen het mij wel niet euvel duiden, dat ik ook deze tak van onderzoek laat staan bij de bijzondere plantkunde, waaruit zij is voortgekomen en waarvoor zij van zoveel betekenis is.

Description: As an introduction to a number of researches of his own the author wishes to give the following data: „Veen” has two meanings in Dutch: 1. in a petrographic sense (peat) Von Büllow’s definition was accepted: „Torf” ist zu deflnieren als ein meist dunkles, kohlenstoffreiches und ± saures Gemenge unvollständig spezifisch-zersetzter Pflanzenteile, das erdgeschichtlich jüngste Glied der Verwantschaftsreihe der Kohlen, dessen Bildung noch heute andauert.” 2. in a plant-sociological-geographic sense (bog) the following definition has been suggested: a bog is a plot, the surface of which consists of a layer of peat, either covered or not with vegetation, with which that layer is genetically connected. The classification of bogs according to their position with regard to the water-level of the surroundings (Staring) and that of the geological chart were rejected on account of their ambiguous character. The classification suggested by Van Baren according to the environment in which the bogs have been formed, was likewise thought insufficient. Preference was given to the classification according to the plants which gave rise to the peat (eutrophic, mesotrophic and oligotrophic bogs) and according to the origin of the water needed for peat formation (topogenous, ombrogenous and soligenous bogs). The conditions of peat-formation are of a botanical (presence of a vegetation and micro-organisms), climatologic (presence of a certain temperature and moisture) and geological nature (presence of a basin, valley or dead river-branch, certain level of ground water, a possible impervious layer). With reference to a number of authors (Picardt; Van Lier; Grisebach, Venema and Staring; Weber) the alteration in conception as to peatformation from the 17th via the 18th and 19th to the 20th century has been given. The word „Peel” cannot be derived from „palus”. Nothing is certain about its origin. It may mean the low land, bog or marsh. The bogs of the Peel lie on the Brabant-Limburg border-plateau (fig. 2). Lorié and Pannekoek van Rheden have shown that the peatformation of the Peel is likely to have occurred in channels, which have been formed by the Meuse, in co-operation with wind and rain (fig. 4). The bogs were therefore in the first instance topogenous formations, which afterwards developed into ombrogenous bogs. For his own research the author collected peat in three ways: 1. by cutting lumps of peat from open profiles; 2. by boring with a simple peat-bore (photograph 1); 3. by boring with the Utrecht peat-bore, an improvement on Dachnowski’s (fig. 5). To assist in the pollen-analytic examination the samples were treated according to Erdtman’s method. The latter has the following advantages compared with the usual treatment with a 10% KOH-solution: 1. the surface-structures of the pollen-grains are more distinct and as a result the grains themselves can be recognized better; 2. the pollen is more concentrated, so that in spite of the method taking up much time, a saving of time is possible. How the method is applied may be found in the chapter concerned (p. 38 and following). For the stratigraphic examination the samples were broken apart in a glass-bowl of water and viewed with a binocular microscope. Dry sandy samples were broken in water, when seeds and other vegetative parts came floating to the top; next they were put with a brush on thick blotting paper and studied through the binocular microscope. The designations for the sediments and species of peat have been derived from Fægri & Gams. For Scheuchzeria peat a new designation has been added. A plea was made for replacing the word pollen-analysis by „palynology”. A survey of the observations and examinations up to abt. 1935 closes the introduction (see the diagrams of Weber, Erdtman and Duyfjes in the figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9). The author’s own research refers to the Southern and Astense Peel, as in the remaining grounds of the geological chart indicated I 4v (= raised bog) no samples could be taken owing to the digging off having progressed too far. 10 profiles were examined. The situation of the bore-sites has been given in the geological chart of the grounds (fig. 3). The result of the examination (figs. 10—27) and the discussion on it may be summerized as follows: Zoning of pollen-diagrams The sub-zoning of the late- and post-glacial periods according to Blytt & Sernander has proved useful as a zoning of pollen-diagrams, provided atlantic and sub-boreal are joined. It is desirable to replace Blytt & Sernander’s terminology by a different one, because the authors gave a climatologic connotation to their names of periods. The limit between pleistocene and holocene was drawn between preboreal and boreal as Florschütz did. As phases of the holocene the following names were suggested: young post-glacial = sub-atlantic mid post-glacial = sub-boreal and atlantic old post-glacial = boreal. Neither in the Peel nor elsewhere in Holland have Allerød-deposits been found. They are not likely to be found either, as on account of the long distance from the land-ice-margin the flora will have been hardly or not at all influenced by the Allerød interstadial period. For Holland therefore the zoning of the late-glacial according to Firbas (1935) may be considered sufficient. The names of the periods do not bear a climatologic connotation as those of the post-glacial phases do. For the sake of a unity the following names have been suggested: young late-glacial = pre-boreal mid late-glacial = sub-arctic period old late-glacial = arctic period. Forest-history In a table (p. 98), in which likewise the Peel diagrams of Weber, Erdtman and Duyfjes have been inserted, the examined profiles have been arranged from North to South. From each profile it has been stated whether it originated in a certain period (+) or not (—). The sub-arctic phase was characterized by forests of Betula and Pinus and was followed by the pre-boreal phase, in which Corylus and Alnus occurred. Also from the other Dutch diagrams (see list on p. 99) it appeared that in the Netherlands the Alnus pollen occurs with an equal frequency before, during and after that of the Quercetum mixtum. The old post-glacial zone of the diagrams shows a peak in the Pinusline. In contrast with the from Mid-Europe there is not always a maximum in the Corylus-curve after the Pinus-peak. In other Dutch diagrams this phenomenon is likewise found. Only in 28% of all Dutch profiles with a boreal zone does a hazel-maximum succeed a Pinus one. They often co-incide (16%), while in the remaining cases no hazelpeak has been established. There is no fixed order of sequence in the occurrence of the components of the Quercetum mixtum, either in the Peel or elsewhere in Holland. The mid post-glacial is the phase of culmination of warmth-loving forest elements: Alnus pollen shows the highest percentage in this zone. Quercus pollen also occurs in great quantities, while Ulmus and Tilia take up an important place up to the „Grenzhorizont”. The absolute and empiric Fagus pollen limits are found at different heights in the mid post-glacial zone of the diagrams, the rational limit lies somewhere near the „Grenzhorizont”. In the young post-glacial phase the Fagus pollen attains fairly high percentages (up to 30%). The maxima in the East and South-east of the Netherlands are between 20% and 38%; they decrease towards the coast and increase towards the South-east (Hautes Fagnes, Belgium) and East (Germany). It seems incorrect to class the Netherlands almost entirely among the oak-alderterritory poor in beeches, as Firbas did. An attempt has been made to fit the Peel-diagrams into Overbeck & Schneider’s zonation system. For the territory for which it has been made there are already difficulties (p. 104), for use in the Peel and other Dutch diagrams there are even more objections (p. 68, 104). Godwin’s zonation system appeared to be a little less forced, but not quite useful on account of too many details. From his horizons that of Ulmus proved useless for the continent. Neither for the Peel nor for the Netherlands and its surrounding territory can a detailed zonation system be designed. It has proved difficult to proceed any farther than Rudolph’s „Grundsukzession”: birch, pine-hazel-mixed oak-forest-beech, in which the alder generally joins the mixed oak-forest and the hornbeam the beech. Before drawing far-reaching conclusions from the course of the curves (as has been done by some authors) more palynological researches are needed in accordance with the actuality principle, known from geology. Pollen-grains from warmth-loving trees in seemingly sub-arctic spectra In profile 4 (Deurnse Peel II) pollen-grains of Abies, Alnus, Picea, Tilia, Ulmus and Corylus were found in the „late-glacial” zone (figs. 14, 15). Investigations were made as to which of the following possibilities would be the cause of their appearance: 1. in taking and preparing the samples pollution occurred; 2. pollen-transport over long distances has taken place; 3. the pollen-grains found have got secondarily into the deposit; 4. warmth-loving trees have occurred in favourable circumstances in the late-glacial phase or 5. in an interstadial period or in an interglacial phase. The said pollen-grains probably hail from a Würm interstadial or interglacial phase. Interglacial peat On the site of the bore-point 7 it was possible to collect samples from the layers under the peat. The upper 40 cm of the diagram Griendtsveen IX (fig. 27) of this profile proved a repetition of the lower 40 cm of the Griendtsveen I profile (fig. 18). The diagram shows that pollen of Carpinus, Picea and Abies occurs showing the deposit to be of interglacial age. The pollen-curves, however, pass unnoticed from an interglacial into a post-glacial portion. The limit is likely to be found between the two, about 30 cm below the mowing field. There is therefore a great stratigraphic hiatus. Pollen-analytically it could not be decided from which interglacial period the profile hails; on account of its situation on the middle terrace, it was deemed likely that it was an Eem sea deposit. The examined profile probably corresponds to Jessen & Milthers’ zone g; showing it to have been formed at the end of the Eem sea period. The Meuse therefore cannot have flowed through this part of the Astense Peel after the mid Eemean phase. Stratigraphy This is difficult to summarize. Compare various profiles. Individual mention may be made here of: 1. peat on a podsol layer; this was found in two places (Deurnse Peel I Kraaienhut and Griendtsveen VIII). Peat-formation may be thought to have occurred in the following way: heather started growing on drift-sand giving rise to a podsol layer. As the latter is impervious the vegetation surface became marshy. The heath was replaced by a Caricetum from which peat arose. Gradually more Eriophorum occurred, from which almost pure vaginatum peat arose. The bog-surface grew moister and moister, Sphagnum cuspidatum and Scheuchzeria could grow on it and formed a „Vorlaufstorf”. Only then could non-extremehydrophile Sphagna join in peat-formation. 2. the occurrence of Scheuchzeria-peat after the „Grenzhorizont” period. This species of peat, which is often found at the basis of the old Sphagnum-peat as a mesotrophic transition vegetation, has for the Netherlands only been found in the young post-glacial phase in the Peel (Deurnse Peel I Kraaienhut, Griendtsveen V and VIII and Nederweerd). At present the plant is very rare. The severe decline of this plant was also observed elsewhere. Probably it is caused by the gradual drying up or reclaiming of the raised bogs. Of the present station of Scheuchzeria near Ommen a short description has been given (p. 59 and photographs 2, 3, 4). 3. the „Grenzhorizont”. Where the young Sphagnum-peat has not been dug for the preparation of moss-litter, the Peel bogs show a clear „Grenzhorizont” (photograph 8). The conceptions about its origin have been discussed. The distinct separation between the old and the young Sphagnum-peat was not considered sufficiently explained. Though on the whole the „Grenzhorizont” is synchronous in the North-west European profiles, the point of transition from old to young Sphagnumpeat was fairly unstable and easily changeable as to time. Generally the date of the „Grenzhorizont” is fixed at about 500 A.D., though there are differences in opinion. There is a lack of archeological correlation which renders a correct dating impossible. Interference of man in the Peel Three ways of interference were stated: 1. peat has been dug off for the greater part in the territory of the Peel: young Sphagnum-peat for the preparation of moss-litter, old Sphagnum-peat for fuel. The trees which appeared when the bog was dug up in the „Veenderij der Maatschappij Griendtsveen” are sometimes in so good a condition, that they are used for building sheds. The 1 st, 2nd and 4th beam in the foreground of the shed in photo 5 has been sawn from a 30 m long subfossil pine. 2. in a native peat-digging it was possible to collect recent young Sphagnum-peat. 40 to 50 years ago the peasants living there had dug peat in holes, which were afterwards left to themselves. Sphagnum started growing again and the holes were filled in again. The diagram (fig. Griendtsveen VII) represents the surrounding heath with scattered pines and birches, sown by the wind, and a pine-plantation close by. 3. in the profiles Nieuwe Peel, Griendtsveen VI and VII it has been fixed by the indications given by Firbas, that only in the surface layers of the bog has corn-pollen occurred. So in these parts cultivation of cereals will be of recent date. This also appeared from the history of the reclamation of the said territory.

Description: Dames en Heren, In een universitair blad kwam onlangs de mededeling voor, dat aan een hoogleraar, die zich in dezelfde moeilijkheid bevindt als ik, nl. dat hij in de loop van deze cursus 70 jaar is geworden, een afscheidscollege zou worden aangeboden. Ik vond dat een sympathiek plan. Als men met college geven, ondanks de daaraan verbonden bezwaren, de 70-jarige leeftijd heeft gehaald, is het werkelijk geen overbodige weelde dat een ander de taak voor deze laatste keer van hem overneemt.

Description: What KIAERSK wrote in 1893 in the preface of his “Enumeratio Myrtacearum Brasiliensium” is still largely valid. It is often most difficult to define a species belonging to this family, not only because, in the absence of ripe seeds, the genus is not easily ascertainable, but also because of the strong variability shown by the vegetative characters. Thanks to the examination of the rich Guiana material preserved in the herbaria of Genève, Kew, Leiden, New York, Paris and Utrecht, I have usually been able to delimit the species in a satisfactory way; their allocation to a definite genus, however, is often a difficult problem. During the preliminary stage of this investigation, which was interrupted by the war, it was of great advantage to me that I could study the Guiana specimens of the Leiden herbarium. In order to avoid misinterpretations, I have tried to base my conclusions as far as possible on an examination of either the types themselves or of duplicates of the latter. Several of these types, especially those that form part of the earlier collections of Guiana plants, e.g. of the collection Aublet, and of the collections Desfontaines (herb. Florence) and De Candolle (Genève) had never before been reexamined, and BERG, the last monographer of the South American Myrtaceae (in Linnaea XXVII (1855—56), XXIX (1858) and XXX (1861) has either neglected these species or given an, often incorrect, interpretation based on the description alone. For this reason the second part of this paper will be devoted to a short survey of these earlier types. My best thanks are due to the directors of all herbaria mentioned. Moreover, I have to thank the “Van Eedenfonds”, whose financial aid enabled me to pay a visit to Kew and to the British Museum.

Description: Among the material collected by LANJOUW and LINDEMAN during the Suriname Expedition 1948—’49 a specimen of Mabea taquari Aubl. was found whose flowers showed some interesting deviations from the normal structure. In the “Flora of Suriname” vol. II, part 1 (1932), p. 78 LANJOUW states that the female flower of the genus Mabea Aubl. is apetalous and provided with a 5- or 6- partite calyx. In a re-investigation of the specimens preserved in the Utrecht Herbarium this could as a rule be confirmed.

Description: Endlicheria Nees (non Presl) in Linnaea 8 (1833), p. 37; id., Progr. (1833), p. 16; id., Syst. (1836), p. 365; Endl., Gen. (1837), p. 321; id., Ench. (1841), p. 197; Dietrich, Synops. Pl. 2 (1840), p. 1332, 1350; Spach, Hist. nat. Végét. X (1841), p. 473; Steudel, Nomencl. ed. 2 (1841), p. 554; Meissn., Gen. I (1836—43), p. 326, II, p. 238; Orbigny, Dict. univ. (1846), p. 259; Lindl., Veg. kgd. (1846), p. 537; Meissn. in D.C., Prodr. XV, 1 (1864), p. 172; id. in Fl. Bras. V, 2 (1866), p. 281; Baillon, Hist. II (1870), p. 480 in adnot.; Pfeiffer, Nomencl. (1873), p. 1201; Benth. in Benth. & Hook., Gen. III (1880), p. 153; Durand, Index Gen. (1888), p. 348 sub Aydendron; Mez in Jahrb. Bot. Gart. Berl. V (1889), p. 111; Pax in Engl.-Prantl, Pfl. Fam. III, 2 (1889), p. 122; dalla Torre & Harms, Gen. (1900—07), p. 178 sub Aniba; Post & Kuntze, Lexicon (1904), p. 197; Lemée, Dict. 2 (1929), p. 857; Benoist in Arch. Bot. V (1931), p. 63; Kostermans in Meded. Bot. Mus. Utrecht 25 (1936), p. 41; id. in Pulle, F1. Surin. 2 (1936), p. 327. – Goeppertia Nees, Syst, l.c., p. 354, 365 (non alibi nec aliis); Endl., Gen., l.c., p. 321, n. 2051; id., Ench., l.c., p. 197; Dietrich, l.c., p. 1332, 1350; Spach., l.c., p. 473; Steudel, l.c., p. 697; Reichb., Nomencl. (1861), p. 70, n. 2659; Meissn., Gen. I, p. 326, II, p. 238; Orbigny, l.c., p. 259; Lindl., l.c., p. 537; Meissn. in D.C., l.c., p. 172; id. in Fl. Bras., l.c., p. 281; Baillon, l.c., p. 480; Pfeiffer, l.c., p. 1473; Benth., l.c., p. 153; Durand, l.c., p. 348 sub Aydendron; Mez, l.c.; Pax, l.c., p. 122; dalla Torre & Harms, l.c., p. 178 sub Aniba; Post & Kuntze, l.c., p. 253; Kosterm. in Meded., l.c. – Schauera Nees in Lindley, Nat. Syst. ed. 2 (1836), p. 202 in adnot. (non aliis nec alibi); Endl., l.c., p. 321; id., Ench., p. 197; Meissn., Gen. II, l.c., p. 238; Orbigny, l.c., p. 259; Lindl., Veg. kgd., l.c., p. 537; Benth., l.c., p. 153; Durand, l.c., p. 348 sub Aydendron; Mez, l.c.; Pfeiffer, l.c., p. 1071; dalla Torre & Harms, l.c., p. 178 sub Aniba; Post & Kuntze, l.c., p. 503; Lemée, l.c., p. 1006. – Schaueria Nees ex Meissn. in D.C., l.c., p. 172; id. in Fl. Bras., l.c., p. 281 (non aliis); Baillon, l.c., p. 480; Pax, l.c., p. 122. – Ampelodaphne Meissn. in D.C., l.c., p. 81; id. in Fl. Bras, l.c., p. 167; Baillon, l.c., p. 473; Pfeiffer, l.c., p. 1071; Benth., l.c., p. 153; Durand, l.c., p. 348 sub Aydendron; Pax, l.c., p. 122; dalla Torre & Harms, l.c., p. 178 n. 2812; Post & Kuntze, l.c., p. 24; Lemée, Dict., l.c., p. 210; Kosterm. in Meded., l.c. – Aydendron Griseb. (non Nees), p.p. in Fl. Brit. W. Ind. isl. (1860), p. 284; Benth., l.c., p. 153; Mez, l.c. – Huberodaphne Ducke in Arch. Jard. Rio de Janeiro 4 (1925), p. 191; Lemèe, Dict., l.c., 3 (1931), p. 661. Type species: Endlicheria hirsuta Nees.

Description: Dr J. Hutchinson retired after 44 years of service in the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew (May 31, 1948), as Keeper of the Museum. He will devote his time mainly to the writing of some general handbooks especially his Genera Plantarum. He was succeeded by F.N. Howes, D. Sc. Mr H.K. Airy Shaw was appointed Principal Scientific Officer, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, on Dec. 31st, 1948.

Description: A growing interest in the Flora Malesiana was a chief characteristic of 1950. The number of free subscriptions increased to over 320 and the total of subscriptions, therefore, to over 620 as the Government of Indonesia receives 300 copies for official purposes. The first volume of series I, the Cyclopaedia of Botanical Exploration in Malaysia, which contains the main bibliographical and biographical data of all collectors in Malaysia, accompanied when advisable by an itinerary and information concerning the collections, has now been printed. It is expected that the volume will appear before the end of the year thus bringing Mrs.M.J. van Steenis-Kruseman’s patient and devoted work during more than 12 years to a conclusion.

Description: Alphen de Veer, E.J. van: Een teratologisch novum (Chron. Naturae 105, 1949, 150-152, 3 fig.). Peculiar polyconal monstruosity of Pinus merkusii. Anonymous: Lijst van boomsoorten verzameld in de Afd. Kapoeas-Barito, Z. Borneo. Ditto, in de Afd. Bandjermasin, Hoeloe Soengel, Z.O. Borneo. Ditto, in de Afd. Samarinda, O. Borneo. Rapport v.h. Bosbouwproefstation Buitenzorg no. 2, 3 & 5, 76, 61 & 48 pp. March, April 1949. Mimeograph. Lists of tree species collected, arranged both by native names and Latin names; of each species the number of specimens and durability class is added.

Description: It is advised to address all mail with destination Royal Botanic Gardens, Buitenzorg, in future as ’Royal Botanic Gardens, Bogor (Buitenzorg)’ The present number, Flora Malesiana Bulletin No. 6, concluded the 1st volume. The second volume of the Flora Malesiana Bulletin begins with no. 7.

Description: J. J. Smith was born June 29th, 1867, at Antwerp, where his father was the director of the Netherlands’ Railway Post Office. In 1872 the family moved to Utrecht and in 1875 to Amsterdam. Smith spent his school days in the capital. His leisure hours were occupied by growing and sketching plants and tending such animals as mice and keeping an aquarium and a terrarium. His 10th birthday was celebrated by the establishment of a private herbarium, the first plant inserted being Bellis perennis. His years at secondary school were greatly influenced by the then teacher of Natural History, Dr J. C. Costerus, who advised Smith to look for a position in horticulture. Horticultural schools being not yet ”en vogue“, Smith got his education in this field at the Horticulturist’s Messrs Groenewegen & Co., Amsterdam. In these years the Orchids began to impress him and Smith spent his few free hours in making pictures of flowering species. The connection with Dr Costerus was continued. Together they looked after their herbaria and later on started to study teratologica, found in the Groenewegen gardens and greenhouses, a field in which both would publish several valuable papers later on. After having been working for his firm for 3½ years, Smith went to Kew where he stayed one year and afterwards to Brussels for completing his horticultural knowledge and skill. At Brussels he was working one year in the famous Orchid nursery of Messrs Linden, and then another year at the ”Jardin Botanique“.

Description: Pendant une tournée du chalutier ”De Lanessan“ de l’Institut Océanographique de Nhatrang (Annam) vers le récif Tizard¹) en avril 1936, une collection d’algues marines a été constituée, provenant des îlots Itu-Aba, Sand Caye et Nam Yit. La situation de ces îlots est environ 10° de latitude Nord et 114° de longitude Est. Qu’il me soit permis de remercier M. R. Serène de l’Institut Océanographique de l’Indochine à Cauda par Nhatrang, qui m’a confié l’étude de cette collection.

Description: In continuation of a previous publication by Lam, in which meiomery and pleiomery in male flowers of Canarium decumanum were described, the same phenomenon is now discussed concerning the fruits of C. Mehenbethene (176 of one single tree) and C. commune (1126 fruits mixed from more than one tree). An investigation of the material gave the following results: 1. C. commune and C. Mehenbethene are closely related; the latter may prove to be a polyploid of the former. Their areas are partly overlapping, but C. commune has its centre in the Moluccas, C. Mehenbethene in New Guinea and W. Polynesia. 2. A tendency to reduce the number of ovules and carpels in the ovary is assumed. By means of a statistical method (”phase index“) the position of either species in the phases of this regression is indicated. 3. From this, it is concluded that C. Mehenbethene represents a more advanced phase than C. commune and that therefore an eastward migration must be accepted. This agrees with other facts stated earlier, both in the Burseraceae and in other plant families of western origin. 4. In Canarium commune pleiomery is found in 2.3% of the fruits, meiomery in 0.45%, which agrees fairly well with the figures found earlier for the corolla and the androeceum of the male flowers of C. decumanum (0.9% and 0.3% respectively). 5. The desirability is expressed to investigate the following points: a. the ontogeny and the fertilization of ovaries and ovules in Canarium. b. cytological relations between related trees in the tropics, especially as far as they may supply indications towards migration tracks (cf. the work of Hagerup on Vaccinium [Hereditas 18, 1933]). c. the ”phase index“ of a number of related Canarium species. d. the exact distribution of some of the phases mentioned along those migration tracks which are both geologically and biogeographically supported (e.g. Sunda centre—Philippines, Philippines—Moluccas—New Guinea, New Guinea—Moluccas—Central Celebes, Malay Peninsula—Sumatra—Java, etc.).

Description: Most classifications of the genera of the Gramineae have been on the structure and arrangement of their spikelets, for these organs provide a far greater variety of readily distinguishing characters than do other parts of the grass plant. Nevertheless it has not always been possible to decide from morphological studies alone whether marked similarities in structure point to a close affinity or are merely examples of parallel development. The modern taxonomist, endeavouring to arrange the grass genera in as natural a sequence as possible in order to emphasise relationships and evolutionary trends, sooner or later meets with difficulties in this respect, for examples of parallelism are of common occurrence in this family. He is more fortunate, however, than his predecessors, in that his own intensive morphological studies, based on a wider range of specimens, may be supplemented by additional data gleaned from the ecological, anatomical and cytological researches of contemporary workers. Thus aided by the more complete information at his disposal, it has been possible for him to rearrange certain groups, particularly the Festuceae and Hordeeae, in which parallel development has occasionally led to unrelated genera such as Lolium, Agropyron and Nardus, being too closely associated. In the following account an attempt has been made to provide a more natural classification for about eighteen species frequently referred to the genus Lepturus R. Br. by reason of their similar spicate inflorescences.

Description: Im Jahre 1907 wurde ich als Botaniker der Gouvernements China-Plantagen in Tjinjiroean bei Pengalengan, West-Java, angestellt, wo ich bis 1916 arbeitete. Tjinjiroean liegt etwa 1566 m über dem Meere und hat ein sehr feuchtes Klima. Es war sehr interessant nachzugehen, welche aus der Ebene von Java und aus Europa eingeführten Pflanzen dort wachsen würden. Was würde der Einfluss des Klimas, der Meereshöhe, der Temperatur, u.s.w. auf die Pflanzen sein? In Tjinjiroean fand ich sogleich viele eingeführte Pflanzen, welche dort üppig wuchsen. In den Chinaplantagen fand ich Georginen und Tropaeolum majus L. verwildert; in meinem Garten blühte Richardia africana Kunth reichlich, bildete Früchte, welche wieder zahlreiche Pflanzen lieferten. Nur einige interessante Pflanzen werde ich hier weiter erwähnen.

Description: 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 — Fig. 1. Gramen 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—1.25 mm longae; laminae lineares, apice tenuiter setaceae, planae vel leviter conduplicatae, usque ad 38 cm longae, 3—3.8 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—8.2 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 ♂: lemma tenuiter hyalinum, lanceolato-ovatum, 6—6.5 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 ♀: 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—2.75 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—12.5 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.

Description: According to general opinion the spikelets of Oryza consist, reckoned from their base upwards, of 2 sterile glumes, called hereafter I and II, one fertile glume (valvula inferior; lemma), called hereafter III, and the palea valvula superior) to this glume, called hereafter p3. The spikelets are placed singly on the very short ultimate branchlets, called hereafter pedicels, of a more or less strongly ramose panicle; the tips of the pedicels are broadened into a shallow infra-spicular cup, either distinctly 2-lobed or not; from the bottom of the cup arises a minute knob, on which the very distinct basal callus of the spikelet is jointed. When ripe, the spikelets of the wild species fall off as a whole, disarticulating at the joint (in dried specimens often long before maturity; hence in herbarium-specimens they are frequently lacking). In many cultivated forms they remain firmly attached to their pedicels, a property of very high economic value. The spikelets are strongly laterally compressed. I and II are either 1-nerved or nerveless; as a rule they are many times shorter than the spikelet, sometimes even very minute. Only in O. Ridleyi they are comparatively well-developed, reaching about half the length of the spikelet, but very narrow. III is very rigid, usually conspicuously granulate, boatshaped, keeled, either awned or not, 5-nerved, with a strong midrib; it has the ultimate lateral nerves along the margins. P3 is likewise boatshaped, shortly cuspidate or not, with a narrow, rather rounded, less often faintly keeled back, 3-nerved; it is about as long as III, awn disregarded, and has the same rigid granulate structure, excepted the narrowly incurved thinly membranaceous smooth marginal parts (hidden by III). It might be taken for a fertile glume, but this view is inadmissible because of the averted position of the lodicules. It has a rather thin mid-nerve and strong lateral nerves, separating the rigid central part from the membranaceous borders. The well-developed lodicules are glabrous; the six stamens are free; there are 2 free shortish styles with large plumose white or violet stigmas which, during anthesis, stick out from the sides of the spikelet in or below its middle. The ripe fruit is oblong or lanceolate, usually angular; it is free from glume and palea but remains firmly incarcerated between them.

Description: Dactyloctenium Henrardianum Bor spec. nov. quae ab omnibus aliis speciebus hujus generis inflorescentia racemosa haud digitata satis recedit. An annual grass. Culms slender, 10—30 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—3 prominent parallel veins on either side.

Description: Een man, die zich nimmer op den voorgrond stelde en wiens naam toch in de geheele botanische wereld bekend is, moet wel heel wat in die wereld hebben gepresteerd. Zoo’n man is Dr J. J. Smith, die op 29 Juni 1937 zijn 70sten verjaardag viert. Zeventig jaar te worden is op zichzelf beschouwd geen verdienste, maar het geeft vrienden en vereerders zulk een mooie gelegenheid den jubilaris eens te toonen, hoe zeer men zijn werk waardeert!

Description: Het lijkt mij niet mogelijk een juisten indruk te krijgen van de beteekenis van J. J. Smith’s phytographisch werk voor den huidigen kweeker, zonder de belangrijkste phasen in de geschiedenis der Orchidophilie in Europa kort te schetsen, die aan dit werk zijn voorafgegaan. Deze geschiedenis heeft zich practisch geheel in Engeland afgespeeld. Dit machtige rijk, in zijn gouden eeuw onbetwist heerscher ter zee, had ter behartiging van zijne overzeesche belangen de beschikking over een kolossale handelsvloot. De bemanningen der schepen voerden van heinde en verre allerlei rariteiten mede, ook levende planten en dieren. Op deze wijze kwamen in de laatste helft der achttiende eeuw de eerste exotische Orchideeën binnen uit gebieden, die niet al te ver van Engeland af lagen: Jamaica, de Bahama-eilanden, Trinidad.

Description: Het is mij een bijzonder voorrecht, om uit het leven van Dr Smith eenige bijzonderheden te mogen vertellen, waarvan enkele wellicht minder algemeen bekend zijn. Deels heb ik de gegevens geput uit datgene wat van zijn levensloop bekend is, deels stammen ze uit mijn persoonlijk contact met Dr Smith, en de gelegenheid van dit jubileum lijkt mij bij uitstek geschikt om dezen te bescheiden werker in het licht te plaatsen waarin hij behoort te staan. In de beginjaren van mijn loopbaan als Hortulanus van ’s Lands Plantentuin was Dr Smith voor mij de groote vraagbaak, was hij de man die met zijn groote liefde voor en zijn uitgebreide kennis van den Plantentuin mij als het ware heeft ingewerkt en opgeleid.

Description: Some collections which I received recently, contain interesting addenda to former studies of the paleotropical Frullaniaceae (cf. especially “De Frullaniaceis VII”, Ann. Bryol. Suppl. Vol. I, 1930) and Lejeuneaceae Holostipae (esp. “De Frullaniaceis XVII”, Ann. Bryol. Suppl. Vol. IV, 1934).

Description: The name Arundo Bambos L. Sp. Pl. 81, 1753, is interpreted as properly belonging to the common thorny bamboo of India; therefore this species should be called Bambusa Bambos (L.) Voss. Arundo Bambos L. Sp. Pl. ed. 2, 120, 1762, insofar as it is represented by Linnaeus’ specimen labeled “1. Bambos” and by his description of this specimen, is based on a misidentification of a Chinese species: Bambusa flexuosa Munro (1868). Bambos arundinacea Retz. Obs. Bot. 5:24, 1789, is shown to have been based on the plant known today as Bambusa vulgaris Schrad. ex Wendl. (Coll. Pl. 2:26, pl. 47, 1810), and not on the common thorny bamboo of India, properly called Bambusa Bambos (L.) Voss. Bambusa arundinacea Willd. Sp. Pl. 2:245, 1799, is based on Bambos arundinacea Retz., but Willdenow is shown to have confused, in his text, as in his mind, at least two species under this name: 1. The plant which has since come to be known as Bambusa vulgaris Schrad. (of which he had a specimen labeled “B. arundinacea 1.”) and 2. The common thorny bamboo of India (properly called Bambusa Bambos [L.] Voss) of which he had no specimen. Traditional usage for 150 years has overlooked the facts in this case, and has erroneously applied Bambusa arundinacea Willd., and Bambusa arundinacea Retz. (as Bambos) to the common thorny bamboo of India. As a result of the long-continued misapplication of the name Bambos arundinacea Retz. and its variants, it will be exceedingly difficult to reïnvest the name with its original meaning. It may come to pass that consensus of leadership will be to avoid the use of the name Bambos arundinacea Retz and its variants altogether, at least for some time, because of the risk of being misunderstood, and to continue the use of the name Bambusa vulgaris Schrad., which is generally accepted in its proper sense. Those who use Bambusa arundinacea Retz. (as Bambos) or any of the other variants of the name, may be able to avoid being misunderstood by citing Bambusa vulgaris Schrad. as a synonym. Bambusa Schreb. Gen. Pl. 1:236, 1789, and Bambos Retz. Obs. Bot. 5:24, 1789, are synonymous, and are believed to have been based on the same species, namely the plant commonly known today as Bambusa vulgaris Schrad. Strict adherence to Recommendations IV and V of the fifth edition of the International Rules of Botanical Nomenclature, and probably the claims of priority, would indicate the replacement of Bambusa Schreb. by Bambos Retz. The continuation of the use of the generic name Bambusa Schreb., instead of Bambos Retz., has the sanction of tradition, and of contemporary preference; but in order to be fully justified and stabilized, this usage should be regularized and legalized by action of the International Botanical Congress, placing Bambusa Schreb. on the list of Nomina Conservanda. The genus Leleba Rumph. ex Nakai, Jour. Jap. Bot. 9: 9 et seq. 1933, is added to the recognized synonymy of Bambusa Schreb.

Description: Durch die extremen Existenzbedingungen, welche die Mangroven als: Formation bestimmen, sollte man glauben, dass die ökologischen Probleme, die sich in dieser Hinsicht zeigen, leicht gelöst werden könnten, um so mehr, weil diese Pflanzengenossenschaft relativ arm an Arten ist. Dass dies jedoch nicht der Fall ist, möge hier im Hinblick auf die Verbreitung der Lumnitzera-Arten im Malaiischen Archipel mit einigen Beispielen gezeigt werden. Im Jahre 1924 habe ich kurz auf die Verbreitung von 3 Lumnitzera- Arten im genannten Gebiet hingewiesen ¹). Meine Absicht war, speziell auf die unerklärliche Erscheinung aufmerksam zu machen, dass L. littorea (Jack) Voigt das Küstengebiet rund um die Java See, im Gegensatz zu L. racemosa Willd., vermeidet, obwohl beide Arten nicht nur in, sondern auch ausserhalb des Malaiischen Archipels vorkommen, ja selbst zusammen in ziemlicher Nähe angetroffen werden. Bevor wir diese Erscheinung noch einmal näher betrachten, möchte ich an der Hand von beigefügter Karte (Fig. 1) das gesamte Verbreitungsgebiet nachgehen. Dieses Gebiet liegt nahezu vollkommen innerhalb der Wendekreise der alten Welt ²): Die Mangroven, wozu Lumnitzera gehört, finden als selbständige Waldoder Gebüschformation ihre natürliche Begrenzung ungefähr auf den gleichen Breiten. Nur L. racemosa überschreitet grade an 2 Stellen die- Wendekreise: An der Ostküste von Afrika streckt sie sich südlich vom Steinbrockkreis bis in die Mangroven bei Durban aus, während sie nördlich vom Wendekreis des Krebses noch in dem Riu Kiu (Lu Tschu) Archipel, nördlich von Formosa vorkommt.

Description: De publicatie van dit deel is mogelijk gemaakt door den geldelijken steun van vele van Smith’s vrienden, wier handteekeningen zijn vereenigd in een album, dat hem is aangeboden tezamen met dit Jubileum-Supplement van „Blumea” en de speciale aflevering van het „Bulletin du Jardin botanique de Buitenzorg”. Het oude Menangkabausche echte gouddraadweefsel uit Kota Gadang, dat heeft gediend voor de banden van het album en van de voor Dr Smith bestemde exemplaren van „Blumea” en het „Bulletin”, dankt het Comité ad hoc aan Dr E. R. Jacobson te Bandoeng.

Description: 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: ”Certainly not D. media. It is a species, unknown to me or, more probably, a variety of D. flexuosa“. This 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 1½—2 times the length of the panicle (in D. flexuosa 4—5 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—0.8 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—0.5 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.

Description: The Salajar Islands strew the Flores Sea between Celebes and Flores. The group consists of no less than 73 smaller and larger islands. The principal islands are: Salajar or Tanadoang, Djampea, Kalao, Kalaotoa, and Bonerate. A number of smaller islands form together the group of the so-called Tiger Islands, and to the south of them arc the very small, low Pasitaloe Islands. The Salajar group is situated between Long. 119°50’ E. and 121°30’ E. and between Lat. 5°36’ S. and 7°25’ S. See the map on p. 240. In May 1913, I was enabled to visit this territory, thanks to a financial allowance of the „Maatschappij ter bevordering van het Natuurkundig Onderzoek der Nederlandsche Kolonien” (Society for the Promotion of the Scientific Investigation of the Netherlands Colonies), for short: „Treub Society”, and also of the „Provinciaal Utrechtsch Genootschap voor Kunsten en Wetenschappen” (Utrecht Provincial Society for Arts and Sciences). The publication of the present paper was enabled by financial support of the „Leidsch Universiteitsfonds” (Leiden University Fund). I beg to tender my best thanks for all this valuable support here.

Description: The vegetative characters — especially those which are important for identification of the species — together with the distribution of the Polysiphonia species occurring in Netherland’s waters were subject of the following study. The material used consisted for the greater part of dried specimens, present in the following collections: Rijksherbarium (Leiden), herbarium Van Goor, Zoological Station (Den Helder), herbarium of the “Koninklijke Nederlandse. Botanische Vereniging” (Rijksherbarium, Leiden) and the herbaria of the Universities of Amsterdam, Groningen and Utrecht.

Description: This paper on the Philippine species of Argyreia forms an addition to that published by the same author in Blumea V, 2, (1943) p. 352—383. As to the description of the genus, the limitation of it against Rivea and the inclusion in it of Lettsomia may be referred to what has been said on p. 353—356 of that publication.

Description: In the course of my study on the wood-anatomy of Javan woods (Mikrographie des Holzes der auf Java vorkommenden Baumarten), I examined also many woods from mangrove-trees. Mangrove has been the subject of much investigation; the community is usually described as xeromorphic. Mangrove woods proved to be different from woods belonging to species growing in other stations even if those species belonged to the same family or even genus. The data may be traced in my “Mikrographie” but it seems more convenient to review them here.

Description: Nederland heeft reeds in het tertiaire tijdvak in een voortdurend dalend gebied der aardkorst gelegen. Ons land is in die tijden bijna onafgebroken door de zeeën overstroomd geweest. Zij hebben op onzen bodem hun slib en zand, benevens enkele skeletdeelen van mariene organismen doen bezinken, zoodat bijna alle opeenvolgende series dezer geologische formatie tot afzetting zijn gekomen, n.l. het Palaeoceen, het Eoceen, het Oligoceen, het Mioceen en het Plioceen. Deze afdeelingen zijn elk door eigen palaeontologische en petrografische eigenschappen gekenmerkt, waaruit de palaeoklimatologie en palaeogeografie voor elke afzonderlijke étage afgeleid kunnen worden. De mariene fossielen, die in de verschillende tertiaire étage’s zijn afgezet, hebben door de herhaalde trans- en regressie der steeds opeenvolgende overstroomingen veelal aan groote verweering blootgestaan. Uit de fossielinhoud der transgressielagen en basale conglomeraten blijkt, dat de haaientanden — dank zij hun resistentie — het grootste en vaak eenige contingent der nog specifiek te herkennen fossielen vormen. De determinatie nu der haaientanden werpt in sommige gevallen een nieuw licht op den ouderdom en herkomst van het materiaal uit de transgressielagen. Deze ouderdomsbepaling biedt op haar beurt waardevolle gegevens omtrent den ouderdom der boven- en onderliggende afzettingen. Een nauwkeurige determinatie der sterk verweerde tanden uit de transgressielagen werd alleen door vergelijking met Selachiersoorten, die elders in tertiaire afzettingen in situ voorkomen, mogelijk gemaakt. Voor elke tertiaire étage werden de petrografische en paleontologische gegevens, voorzoover zij bekend zijn uit de verslagen van het werk van de voormalige Rijks Geologische Dienst en uit andere publicatie’s, verwerkt. Tevens werd een studie gemaakt over alle in het Tertiair van Nederland voorkomende Selachiers. De uitkomsten van deze onderzoekingen betreffende de geologie van Nederland, werden steeds getoetst aan die van de waarnemingen in de aan Nederland grenzende gebieden van België en Duitschland. Uit het mariene Palaeoceen, dat op enkele plaatsen in ons land is aangeboord, is geen Selachiermateriaal bekend. Het klimaat is in dit tijdvak, in tegenstelling met de onmiddellijk voorafgaande krijtperiode, subtropisch tot gematigd geweest. De palaeoceene zee heeft zich over bijna geheel Nederland uitgestrekt en heeft in open verbinding gestaan met de arctische wateren. Gedurende het eoceene tijdvak hebben opeenvolgende transgressies plaats gehad, die gesteenten van verschillende lithologische facies afgezet hebben. Sporadisch zijn ze in één boring aangetroffen. Aan de glauconitische zandsteen- en mergelhoudende kleilagen, die in de Peel aangeboord zijn, werd op grond van de algeheele aaneensluiting aan de belgische isopache lijnen, een eoceenen ouderdom toegeschreven. Daar eoceene afzettingen voornamelijk uit boringen bekend zijn, is weinig fossiel materiaal te verwachten. Het klimaat is hetzelfde gebleven als in het voorafgaande tijdvak. Geheel Nederland is wederom door de zee bedekt geweest, die in verbinding heeft gestaan met de noordelijke wateren. De oligoceene afzettingen kunnen in onder-, midden- en bovenoligoceene onderscheiden worden. Op de plaats, waar het Onderoligoceen op krijtafzettingen rust, zijn eenige afgesleten haaientanden gevonden. Deze soorten: Odontaspis (Odontaspis) cf. bronni en Odontaspis (Synodontaspis) gracilis wijzen op een herkomst uit krijtafzettingen. De onderoligoceene transgressie is niet zoo uitgebreid geweest als de voorafgaande. Verschillende deelen van Nederland hebben dus boven den zeespiegel gelegen. In Zuid-Limburg zijn fluviomariene afzettingen bekend. Er is in dezen tijd nog geen verbinding geweest met de mediterrane zee. Het Middenoligoceen vertoont verschillende facies. Het komt in enkele deelen des lands aan den dag en is ook in boringen aangetoond. In Overijsel komt aan de basis van de middenoligoceene zandafzettingen een transgressielaag voor, waarin vele rondgesleten phosphorieten, haaientanden en schelpen naast enkele goedbewaarde tanden voorkomen. De determinatie dezer geremanieerde tanden wijst op boveneoceene herkomst. De in situ afgezette tanden wijzen op een middenoligoceenen ouderdom der bovenliggende glauconiethoudende zanden. In Zuid-Limburg zijn in de transgressielaag aan de basis van de middenoligoceene kleiafzettingen nog enkele haaientanden gevonden, die afkomstig zijn uit oudere oligoceene lagen. Een collectie Selachiertanden uit de septarienklei van Oost-Nederland werd nader beschreven. De middenoligoceene zee heeft zich over heel N.W.-Europa uitgestrekt en waarschijnlijk via het Mainzerbekken korten tyd met de mediterrane zee in verbinding gestaan. De zuidelijke invloed op de fauna is echter in N.W.-Europa niet meer merkbaar. Het Bovenoligoceen bestaat voornamelijk uit glauconiethoudende afzettingen, die in de Peel en Zuid-Limburg zijn aangetoond. Het klimaat is tijdens het geheele oligoceene tijdvak subtropisch tot gematigd geweest. De zee heeft het geheele zuidelijk deel van ons land bedekt. Het Ondermioceen is in Nederland niet in mariene facies bekend. In Zuid-Limburg gaan de middenoligoceene kleiafzettingen geleidelijk over in glauconiethoudende zanden. Op sommige plaatsen nu treedt in deze zandafzettingen een transgressielaag op, waarin steenkernen van Mollusca en afgesleten haaientanden voorkomen. Door determinatie dezer geremanieerde Selachierfauna kon een bovenoligoceene herkomst van dit materiaal worden aangetoond. Hieruit werd afgeleid, dat de onderliggende glauconiethoudende zanden van bovenoligoceenen en niet van middenoligoceenen ouderdom zijn, zooals door Jongmans en van Rummelen (1930) wordt aangenomen. De hierboven liggende lagen zijn tijdens een jongere neogene transgressie afgezet en hebben een middenmioceenen, niet een bovenoligoceenen ouderdom. Dit zijn de eenige mariene middenmioceene afzettingen. Een typisch mariene middenmioceene fauna is echter nergens aangetroffen. Dat echter in de onmiddellijke omgeving fossielrijke middenmioceene afzettingen bestaan moeten hebben, werd met zekerheid bewezen uit de geremanieerde, typisch middenmioceene fauna, die in een jonger transgressieconglomeraat te Elsloo werd aangetoond. Naar boven toe treden in deze mariene middenmioceene zanden eenige bruinkoolhoudende lagen op, die onderbroken worden door witte zandafzettingen. Deze zijn van marienen oorsprong en zijn gevormd tijdens steeds herhaalde transgressie’s, waarbij an de basis een laag van afgeronde vuursteenen afgezet is. Door aan te nemen, dat deze zanden van middenmioceenen ouderdom zijn, werd aan de bruinkoollagen een midden- en bovenmioceenen ouderdom toegekend. Jongmans en van Rummelen (1930) schrijven deze afzettingen echter een ondermioceenen ouderdom toe. Deze laatste ouderdomsbepaling berust op een vergelijking met het aangrenzende bruinkolengebied van Duitschland, waar een stratigrafische opeenvolging der lagen opgesteld is, die uitgaat van een bovenoligoceenen ouderdom der onderliggende glauconitische zanden. Eenzelfde klimatologische verhouding werd zoowel voor de geremanieerde middenmioceene fauna als voor de flora uit de bruinkool geconstateerd; beiden wijzen op afzetting tijdens een tropisch klimaat. De middenmioceene zee heeft in een grooten bocht over het Zuiden van ons land en het Noorden van België geloopen. Deze heeft via het Nauw van Calais in verbinding gestaan met de mediterrane zee. Van de Selachierfauna, die in de verschillende gebieden tijdens deze middenmioceene transgressie is afgezet, werd een volledige overeenkomst met de geremanieerde middenmioceene fauna vanuit het transgressieconglomeraat van Elsloo aangetoond. Het Bovenmioceen komt in een onderste zandige en een bovenste glimmerrijke kleiafzetting voor, die bijna overal duidelijk te onderscheiden zijn. Molengraaff en van Waterschoot van der Gracht (1913) houden de onderste, meer zandrnke facies zoowel in het Peelgebied als in Oost-Nederland voor Middenmioceen. De uit deze afzettingen beschreven Selachierfauna heeft echter een typisch bovenmioceen karakter, en daarom werd aan deze afzettingen een bovenmioceenen ouderdom toegekend. De bovenmioceene zee heeft een groote uitbreiding gehad. Het klimaat is subtropisch tot gematigd geweest. Het plioceen komt zoowel in mariene als in continentale facies voor. In Zuid-Limburg komt onder een dunne mariene onderplioceene zandlaag het bekende transgressieconglomeraat van Elsloo voor. Omtrent den ouderdom dezer laag heerscht groot meeningsverschil. Door determinatie van de geremanieerde Selachierfauna uit dit conglomeraat werd een middenmioceene herkomst van het materiaal vastgesteld. Deze ouderdomsbepaling houdt dus in, dat de bovenliggende afzettingen jonger zijn dan het Middenmioceen. Door het feit, dat het mariene Bovenmioceen niet zoover zuidelijk reikt, als ook door de aanwezigheid van een tweede, geremanieerde plioceene Selachierfauna aan de basis der hierboven liggende glaueonietzanden, werd een onderplioceene ouderdom aan de Elsloolaag toegekend. Behalve het op vele plaatsen aangetoonde mariene Onderplioceen, zijn voornamelijk in Limburg kontinentale afzettingen aangetoond. Deze zelfde facies zijn in midden- en bovenplioceene afzettingen aangetoond. Gedurende het Plioceen heeft de zee zich steeds meer naar het Westen en Noorden teruggetrokken. Het klimaat is geleidelijk kouder geworden. Tertiaire Selachiertanden komen ook op secundaire vindplaats in diluviale afzettingen voor. Nog heden ten dage spoelen vele haaientanden door de erodeerende werking van rivieren of zee uit de oorspronkelijke vindplaats los. Door de determinatie der tanden werd in vele gevallen de herkomst van de fauna vastgesteld.

Description: The numbers (St. ...) quoted in the present systematic part, are the registration numbers of specimens in the Geological Museum at Leiden. The molluscan collection from Poeloe Boenjoe comprises the numbers St. 41757—’61 (inclusive), ’63—’70, ’73—’97, ’99—41802, ’04—’09; Tarakan: St. 41742—’50, ’98. Other organisms: Boenjoe: St. 41762, ’71, ’72, ’95, 41803; Tarakan: St. 41751, ’52, ’53, ’54, ’55.

Description: Experiments are described in which artificial beaches were attacked by a combination of running waves parallel to the coast and superposed standing waves at right angles to the former. Beach cusps were formed only when a steep beach was eroded by the waves. Observations in nature are cited that appear to support the view that standing waves may be the cause of beach cusps, but further data are needed before a definite conclusion can be arrived at.

Description: In the collections of the Leyden Geological Museum is a set of fossiliferous clay-stones which was long ago collected by the mining engineer Hulshoff-Pol in the coal quarries of Batoe Panggal 1), Eastern Borneo. He presented the collection in 1902 to Dr M. Schmidt, who at that time was making geological investigations in Borneo. After Dr Schmidt’s appointment to a professorship in Stuttgart, the fossil collections made by him in Borneo were acquired by the Leyden Geological Museum (1920). Fig. 1 roughly indicates the locality of Batoe Panggal, while Fig. 2 depicts the delta area of the Mahakkam or Koetei river and its neighbouring areas. The dotted area is again represented in Fig. 3 below.

Description: 1. This paper deals with a pollenanalytical investigation of holocenic peat-layers in Central Friesland. 2. One diagram shows a praeboreal spectrum with Betula in the dominant position, the first appearance of thermophilous trees (Corylus, Alnus) and a high percentage of Gramineous and Cyperaceous pollen. 3. Originally in all diagrams the percentages of Ericaceous pollen are low. 4. During the boreal time the peat formation was of little importance. A maximum of Corylus pollen in the boreal period has not been found here. 5. In the Atlanticum a thick layer of peat has been formed; the percentage of Alnus pollen remains high, the Quercetum-mixtum fluctuates between 10 and 25 per cent and there is also much Corylus pollen. 6. Two narrow clay-bands are present in the peat. They contain many pollen grains of halophytic plants, which indicates that there must have been two marine transgressions in the Atlanticum. These transgressions will have reached their farthest point in this region. 7. In the upper atlantic and subboreal peat-layers there are many fragments of Ericaceae and also a high percentage of Ericaceous pollen. 8. The Young Sphagnum peat consists of Sphagnum species of the Cymbifolia section. The presence of Fagus pollen never reaches a level of 10 per cent. 9. During the subatlantic transgression the Young Sphagnum peat has locally been washed away and was replaced by clay with many Phragmites rests. The author wishes to express his thanks to “It Fryske Gea”, the Frisian association for the protection of nature, president Mr. M. WIEGERSMA, Drachten, for the permission to take samples at “Het Princehof” and for the assistance to this work. He is also highly indebted to Dr. F. P. JONKER for his assistance and interest during the investigation and to Prof. Dr. C. E. B. BREMEKAMP for correcting the English text.

Description: Blume, C. L, Bijdragen tot de kennis van de Flora van Nederlandsch Indië. Reprint of part 4 ( 1850). Dr M. A. DONK draws attention to the fact that part 4 of BLUME’ s Bijdragen was reprinted in 1850, at Batavia. The printers were VAN LANGE & Co, not the Landsdrukkerij this time. A copy of this second edition is in the Bibliotheca at Bogor. The letterprint is different from that of the original and the paper is of inferior quality. The numbering of the pages is kept as much as possible in agreement with the original edition. At Bogor there is an other copy of the Bijdragen in which part 4 is in MS,; this indicates that at some time no stock was available of the original edition.

Description: In the following the abbreviation B.Z. means ’Binnenlandsche Zaken’ or ’Ministry for the Interior’; all records referred to are preserved in the National Archives (’Rijksarchief’) at The Hague. By Royal Decree of Febr. 10, 1839, no. 101 (cf. B.Z., 5th Div., Febr. 18th, 1839, no 132) it was decided to publish a printed work at the expense of the Government. The issue was to consist of 250 copies and each of the planned 3 volumes were to contain c. 400 pp., 60 (coloured) plates and quarterly instalments were to be published. The costs were to be deducted from the funds granted to the ’Natuurkundige Commissie’ (Board for the Naturel Sciences) who had explored in the Dutch East Indies since the withdrawal of the English (1816). The work should embody the scientific results of the ’Commissie.’

Description: The death of Cyril Tenison White, Government Botanist, Brisbane, Queensland, occurred on August 16, 1950.; The news came suddenly and hit hard; we lost one of the kindest and gentlest of men and, besides, the greatest living authority on the Papuan and Melanesian flora. Mr White had been seriously ill, two years ago, but seemed to have recovered. His heart remained weak, however, and though he seemed in good health, he had to desist from mountain climbing.

Description: Much of the difficulty experienced by the modern systematic botanist is nomenclatorial. Though he may have a clear conception of a plant as a taxonomic unit, he is often at a loss to find out what it is as a legitimate nomenclatural entity. If a haphazard use of names is permitted, it will result in different botanists using the same name in a different sense, so that the names themselves, unaccompanied by a description, will give no definite denotation; that is, a name may become applicable to several independent taxonomic units. And if it is attempted to skip over these difficulties by creating a new name every time the legitimacy of a name of a plant is questioned, a usage may be established in virtue of which, on the one hand, very good names may be rejected on insufficient grounds, while, on the other, one and the same taxonomic group of plants will be known by different names to different botanists in different countries. Actually, some such state of affairs as this was common at one time in taxonomic botany, so that it came to be felt that personalities had a great deal to do with popularizing some names, however erroneous, as well as with rejecting quite good ones. In other words, there was a tendency to subordinate the naming of plants, or the validity and legitimacy of plant-names, to personal or national or provincial likes and dislikes, with the result that the scientific names were often less stable and precise in their application than the vernacular names. In order to obviate these drawbacks and to make the nomenclature of plants more precise and international, the new nomenclatorial Rules adopted as their basis the type- and the priority-concepts as the most important guiding principles in such matters. These Rules do not recognize personalities, but they oblige taxonomists to examine the claims of each plant-name for legitimacy on the merits of the names themselves, and not of the authors of the names, or of the authors of the works in which the names have been published. Thus at one stroke these two principles have, in nomenclatorial procedure, attempted to do away with all incentives for botanists to split themselves into different camps on a national basis or according to the sides taken by the heads of the particular institutions to which they belong.

Description: Botanists throughout the world and more especially those who have made a special study of the Natural Family Orchidaceae would desire to offer their congratulations and good wishes in person to Dr J. J. Smith on the occasion of his seventieth birthday. Since that privilege, however, is denied to so many of us, I desire on behalf of my British colleagues, and especially on behalf of the staff of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, to offer to Dr. Smith our sincere thanks for the valuable work he has carried out on the Orchidaceae, Ericaceae and Euphorbiaceae, in particular of the Malayan region and more especially of the Dutch East Indies during the past thirty-five years; and to express the hope that he may long be spared to continue his valuable researches and enrich botanical literature from the vast stores of his accumulated knowledge and wide experience.

Description: 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’s, 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—1729), a well-known Dutch painter of flowers, as the maker. However, a closer investigation learnt that this was not correct. When 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 “Rijksherbarium” 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 “Laurens van der Vinne Pinxcit 1736”. 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.

Description: Die bisher aufgestellten Orchideensysteme stimmen bis auf eine Ausnahme (L. C. Richard, 1817) in der Abtrennung der monandrischen Orchideen von den diandrischen überein. Dagegen ist bei der Gliederung der Monandrae verschieden verfahren worden. Das System von Lindley stellt hier die Beschaffenheit des Pollens voran; das von Reichenbach F. die Anheftung der Anthere; Bentham benutzt beides; Pfitzer geht von der Richtung der Pollinienverbindung mit dem Rostellum aus und verwendet dann vegetative Merkmale; das System von Schlechter schliesst sich an das von Pfitzer an, zieht aber wieder stärker den Pollen heran. Vergleicht man die Hauptgruppen dieser Systeme nach ihrem Inhalt, so ergibt sich, dass sie trotz der verschiedenen Ausgangspunkte sehr weitgehend übereinstimmen. Es bestehen nur zwei wesentlichere Abweichungen: einmal die verschiedene Aufteilung der von Schlechter als Kerosphaereae bezeichneten Gruppe (in Epidendreae und Vandeae bei Lindley-Bentham und in Acranthae und Pleuranthae bei Pfitzer- Schlechter; das läuft aber im Endergebnis nur auf die verschiedene Verteilung einiger weniger Gattungsgruppen auf die genannten Untergruppen der Kerosphaereae hinaus) und zweitens das Schwanken in der Unterbringung von ein oder zwei Gattungsgruppen bei den Polychondreae (Neottieae) oder Kerosphaereae.

Description: 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. Time and fate are inexorable powers. Sometimes the question has occurred to me, whether we have any right to speak of a “Jubilee”, whether one’s 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?

Description: Dr J. J. Smith is best known by his studies about Orchidaceae. But since 1904 he published regularly in collaboration with Dr J. C. Costerus in the ”Annales du Jardin Botanique de Buitenzorg“, the results of their researches in teratology of tropical plants. Some years ago, Dr J. J. Smith was so kind to ask me if I would like to continue their studies in tropical teratology; I accepted this invitation. Although botanists appreciate this part of the botanical science in more than one way, and although even the opinion about the definition of a monstrosity differs, it must be stated that what has been done by Costerus and Smith in this field of the botanical science, deserves our high appreciation as they have described and pictured for the first time a large number of tropical monstrosities.

Description: 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’s are not exact, so that the determination was not always easy; the less so as the species are variable in several characters. As 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.

Description: Perennis, innovationibus extravaginalibus. Caulis usque ad 80 cm altus, erectus vel nodo infimo radicans et geniculato-adscendens, usque ad apicem paniculae pilosus, pilis albis, usque ad 3 mm longis, e tuberculis emergentibus. Vaginae arcte appressae, internodiis breviores, hispidae, pilis e tuberculis emergentibus, albis, usque ad 4 mm longis, marginibus oris vaginarum stellato-patentibus. Ligula verticilla pilorum consistens. Folia caulina subtus ad basin pilis e tuberculis emergentibus munita, ceterum glabra ut supra; folia infima 2—3 dm longa, complicata vel plana et usque ad 4 mm lata, nervis tenuioribus ac crassioribus alternantibus, folia innovationum omnia angusta, complicata et apicem versus convoluta. Panicula erecta, pyramidalis, per anthesin ac postea patens, usque ad 20 cm longa vel paulo longior; rhachis pilis longis albis patentibus barbatis. Semiverticilla infima e ramis usque ad 8, 6—8 cm longis, composita. Apicem versus numerus et longitudo ramorum sensim decrescunt; hi rami glabri; initium ramificationis secundariae supra partem tertiam infimam; rami secundarii spiculis breviter pedicellatis sparse praediti. Spiculae plumbeo-griseae, lineares, 5—10-florae, quae 7 flores gerunt, 6 mm longae et ½—¾ mm latae. Glumae tenuiter membranaceae; gluma inferior 1 mm longa, acuta; gluma superior 1½ mm longa, obtusiuscula; ambae nervis inconspicius et mox deciduae. Rhachilla glabra, internodiis sublongis, floribus plus minusve remotis. Lemma 1½ mm longa a latere visa linearis, acuta, debilis, margine angusto membranaceo; nervis lateralibus lumine reflecto inconspicuis. Palea elliptica, lemma aequilonga. I found this new species among a series of unicae, bought from K. Dinter and collected by him in 1912 in South-West-Africa (No. 2572, Grassteppe at Okahandja); type specimen in Herb. Lugd.-Bat.

Description: 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. Some 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.

Description: 1. (with G. H. H. ZANDVOORT) — Een voor Nederland nieuwe plant, Kentrophyllum lanatum DC. — De Levende Natuur XV, p. 376—380, 4 fig.

Description: Koorders, Fl. v. Tjibodas 2 (1923) 32—46; Hochreutiner in Candollea 2 (1924—1926) 336—359; Ochse, Indische Groenten (1931) 719—722; Backer, Onkruidfl. Java Suiker (1930) 203—209; Aimshoff in Blumea 5 (1942—1945) 515—517. Miss Dr G. J. Amshoff started the revision of the Javanese Urticaceae, but left the definitive preparation to me. Urtica dioica L. and U. urens L. have been erroneously recorded for Java (Miquel, Fl. Ind. bat. 1², 1859, 227; Koorders, Exk. Fl. Java 2, 1912, 126). To my knowledge no specimens were ever collected there nor elsewhere in the Malay Archipelago.

Description: Little attention has been paid till now to the algae, transported to the Netherlands coast on drifting objects. About a century ago T. D. Vrijdag Zijnen and G. Bisschop (near Scheveningen, ± 1845), and L. H. Buse (between Wijk aan Zee and Zandvoort, ± 1840—1847) were the first to pay attention to this subject. The material collected, especially that by the first two investigators, is mentioned in the Prodromus Fl. Bat. (1853). The book of Van Goor (1923) contains a chapter on these algae, in which, however, only few new observations occur. The author is much indebted to Dr Josephine Th. Koster for her kind help, as well as to Dr S. J. v. Ooststroom. The material, collected by Vrijdag Zijnen, Bisschop and Buse is almost completely present in the collections of the ‘Rijksherbarium’ and the ‘Koninklijke Ncderlandse Botanische Vereniging’, Leiden. The material, collected during the last few years has for the greater part been brought together by the present author, and furthermore especially by K. Swennen (Den Helder), J. Stock (Amsterdam), A. Mulder (Haarlem) and P. Leenhouts (Scheveningen). This material belongs to the collection of the Rijksherbarium, Leiden, but most of it is, for the time being, put under the charge of the “Comité ter Bestudering van de Nederlandse Mariene Flora en Fauna” (“Committee on the Netherlands’ Marine Flora and Fauna”) and temporarily preserved in “Het Filiaal”, Leiden.

Description: In conclusion, we propose the following nomenclatural alterations. For a good classification, the genus Vulpia is to be accepted as a member of the Festuceae. Various names of Vulpia are fixed according to our present rules of nomenclature, viz. V. bromoides (L.) GRAY, V. membranacea (L.) LINK, V. geniculata (L.) LINK, V. stipoides (L.) DUM. and V. Myurus (L.) GMELIN. For Vulpia ciliata the earliest valid epithet is taken and so this widely distributed species must bear the name of V. aetnensis TINEO, while its glabrous variety is named imberbis (Vis.) HENR.. Vulpia delicatula (LAG.) DUM. var. hirsuta HENR. and Vulpia geniculata (L.) LINK var. dasyantha HENR. are described as new varieties. Among the South American species the new combinations Vulpia eriolepis (DESV.) HENR., Vulpia australis (NEES) HENR. and Vulpia muralis (KUNTH) HENR. are proposed, moreover the endemic Vulpia Teneriffae (ROTH) HENR. is mentioned. The North American species are treated in connection with the parallel variations of the European Vulpias and the following new combinations are given, viz. Vulpia octoflora (PIPER) RYDBERG, var. hirtella (PIPER) HENR., V. sciurea (NUTT.) HENR., V. arida (ELMER) HENR., V. confusa (PIPER) HENR., V. Eastwoodae (PIPER) HENR., V. Grayi (ABRAMS) HENR. and V. Tracyi (HITCHC.) HENR..

Description: During the long years I was engaged in writing my “Mikrographie” (1), my main purpose was to give a survey of the wood-anatomy of as many representatives of the javanesc wood flora as I could lay hands on, in connection with Koorders’ and Valeton’s “Bijdragen” (2). My attention being almost exclusively absorbed by the descriptive side of my task, little attention was paid to eventual conclusions regarding family relationships, though some were incidentally pointed out. When this work of long years was completed, the need of a key for the identification of wood samples was felt. This I composed and completed just before the war. It was published in 1940 and written in German (3), as was the main work on which it was based. Immediately an English translation was prepared but though this was ready for the press as early as 1942, I was prevented from publishing it, at first because of the German occupation and later on for want of funds.

Description: Teucrium vesicarium Mill.; Epling, Syn. S. Amer. Lab. in Fedde, Repert., Beih. 85 (1935—1937) 3. Hab.: im Wald um Santa Cruz, 450 m alt., Jan. 1911, n. 1334.

Description: It is a pleasant duty to announce a work to which all students of the Malaysian Flora, and I am sure, many others, have been looking forward for some time; the first issue of, it is hoped, a very long and continuous series which will ultimately lead to a complete flora of the Malaysian region, including British Malaya, the Philippines and New Guinea which, floristically speaking, forms a natural unit. The work, written in English under the auspices of the Royal Botanic Garden, Buitenzorg (now Bogor), Java, is the result of the painstaking efforts of its Editor-in-Chief, the well-known Buitenzorg botanist, Dr C. G. G. J. van Steenis. Generously supported by his wife in many respects, he has, and under the most difficult circumstances, indefatigably fought to get this extensive project started. Not ony he, but the Indonesian Government as well, are to be congratulated on the result of their efforts. It deserves our sincere and warm appreciation that the Government of this young country has understood its responsibilities and is backing the work with considerable interest, both morally and financially.

Description: Many plants are as a whole or in some characteristic features flabelliform. So it is easy to understand that botanists often used the word piпio or piпidiov as a component of plant names. It is rather astonishing, however, that this word, R(h)ipidion or R(h)ipidium occurs no less than five times as a generic name (including one nomen nudum). In the list of homonyms by Miss M. L. GREEN C.S. (Kew Bull. misc. Inf., 1935, p. 341—544) the word is not mentioned, though it is of importance for mycologists. It may seem curious that also OTTO KUNTZE, who was very keen on such cases, probably overlooked it. Only in the list of nomina conservanda (auct. R. MAIRE; Int. Rules Nomencl., Ed. III, 1935, p. 124) one of the cases was considered¹). Rhipidium CORNU, Bull. Soc. bot. Fr., 18, 1871, p. 58; Ann. Sci. nat. Bot., V, 15, 1872, p. 15. (Saprolegniaceae). Standard species: Rh. interruptum CORNU l.c. = Rh. continuum CORNU l.c. = Rh. europaeum VON MINDEN, Krypt. Fl. Brandenburg, V, 1915, p. 597 (1912). For the argument of typification, see VON MINDEN, l.c., p. 596.

Description: Das bearbeitete Gebiet grenzt im E an die Wasserscheide der Serio-und Dezzoflüsse zwischen dem Monte Vigna Vaga und dem Monte Scanapá. Auf diesem Bergkamm liegen die höchsten Gipfel: der Pizzo della Presolana, 2521 m, und der Monte Ferrante, 2426 m. Nach W reicht das Gebiet bis an den Kamm der Cima di Timogno und des Monte Vodala. Diese Grenze zieht sich nach S bis Rovetta in der Valle Gera und nach N bis in die Valle di Sedornia hin, wo unseres Gebiet mit dem von Weeda kartierten über etwa 2 km zusammenfällt. Die nördlichen und südlichen Grenzen werden von den Valli di Sedornia und Gera gebildet.

Description: The present paper deals with a small collection of Neogene fossils which has been made by the geologist Dr. M. Schmidt in the Sangkoelirang area 1), East Borneo. The locality is defined in Gerth’s (1923) and Krijnen’s papers (1931, loc. no. 175, p. 535). It must be stated here that this locality has been mentioned incorrectly in literature, viz., as “Hill near Sekoerau” instead of “Coral limestone, Hill near Sekoerau”. Dr. Schmidt’s collection, which was sold to the Leyden Geological Museum in 1920 — about twenty years after being made — contains two different faunas from Sekoerau: vide infra.

Description: A new species of Paullinia, viz. P. Bernhardi Uitt. was described on p. 774 of the last volume of this periodical. I have to add here another new species to this formerly monotypic section Cryptoptilon. The three species now known are all collected uncompletly. The flowers of the two Suriname ones are wanting; those of P. verrucosa Radlk. from British Guiana are known, but unfortunately only rather young fruits are found. A new diagnosis of this section is given here together with a key and the description of the new species. Sect. Cryptoptilon Radlk. in Engl. u. Prantl, Nat. Pfl. fam. III, 5 (1895), p. 304, fig. 156 IX; id., Monogr. Paull. (1895—96), p. 247, fig. 9; id. in Engler, Pflanzenreich IV, 165, p. 309 (1931).

Description: Trigonia coppenamensis nov. spec. Liana; ramulis ferrugineotomentosis; petiolis 1.2—2.2 cm longis, tomentosis; laminis subcoriaceis, ellipticis vel obovato- vel oblongo-ellipticis, circiter 6—12 X 3—7 cm, apice acute-acuminatis, basi subrotundatis usque subcuneatis, supra tomentellis, subtus pilis flavescenticanescentibus tomentosis; nervis secundariis utroque 6—8 prope margine arcuato-adscendentibus; venis reticulatis, supra impressis; inflorescentiis terminalibus et axillaribus, rhachi ramisque dense ferrugineo-tomentosis; floribus in cymis plusminusve regularibus dispositis; pedunculis circiter 0.5 cm longis; pedicellis 0.3—0.5 cm longis; alabastro 0.3—0.5 cm longo; calicis lobis circiter 0.5 x 0.3 cm, obtuse rotundatis extus tomento cano-flavo indutae, intus glabris; petalis membranaceis, glabris, inaequalibus, petalo posteriore ad faucem sacculi ferrugineo-piloso; staminis fertilibus 6, filamentis fere usque ad apicem connatis; antheris 0.1 cm longis, apice subacutis; glandulis 2 vel 3 rotundatis vel irregulariter lobatis, ovario dense tomentoso; stylo glabro, stigmate albo, 0.1 cm diametro. Type; Maguire 24857, Suriname, Coppename R. Headwaters Schmidt Mt. km 10 in mixed wallaba forest. fl. Sept., in Utrecht herbarium (U.).

Description: De moeilijkheden, die optreden bij het determineren van de Nederlandse vertegenwoordigers van het genus Centaunum (= Erythraea), waren voor mij aanleiding het Nederlandse materiaal eens aan een revisie te onderwerpen. De Franse flora’s b.v. vermelden een aantal soorten, waarvan het voorkomen in Nederland niet onmogelijk is (lit. 1, 2, 9). De bewerkingen van het Britse materiaal door WHELDON and SALMON in 1925 (lit. 15) en door GILMOUR in 1937 (lit. 4) wezen uit, dat ook in Engeland tal van soorten en variëteiten voorkomen, die voor Nederland onbekend zijn. Tenslotte verscheen in 1940 een bewerking van het Scandinavische materiaal van C. vulgare door STERNER (lit. 12), waarbij eveneens tal van vormen voor de dag kwamen en ook een voor Nederland onbekende soort. De Zweed WITTROCK heeft zich het meest intensief met het genus bezig gehouden. Hij gaf een aantal exsiccaten uit onder de naam „Erythraeae exsiccatae” en was van plan een monografie van het genus te publiceren. Dit laatste is door zijn dood in 1914 verhinderd, zodat we van zijn resultaten niets anders weten dan het gepubliceerde in enkele referaten (lit. 16) en de niet geldig gepubliceerde manuscriptnamen van de exsiccatae. WITTROCK’s exsiccaten zijn in de Nederlandse herbaria niet aanwezig.

Description: On request of the Army, several voluminous bibliographies nave been published in Japan during the war. Advanced scientists accomplished the work in collaboration with teams of students by using Japanese libraries. The first of these bibliographies appeared in 1942, the last in 1944. They were apparently already planned before the war and intended to form one of the sources of information for the Intelligence Service. They were published under the general title ’Bibliographic Index for the study of the natural resources of the Great Asia co-prosperity sphere’ and compiled by the Department of Education, Dai Nippon.

Description: The second instalment of the Flora Malesiana was published in December 1949. It contains pp. xli – clxi ana 41-140, and c. 160 illustrations. The total issue is fixed at 1000 copies of each instalment. At the present moment more than 550 subscriptions have been received. It seems that the future of Flora Malesiana is assured. The second instalment of volume 4 contains the final part of the ’General Considerations’, by the general editor, ’A short history of Malaysian phytography’, by Dr H.C.D. de Wit, and revisions of Malaysian, plant families by Dr C.A. Backer, Dr P. Buwalda. and by Dr C.G.G.J. van Steenis.

Description: This is, I believe, the most important single contribution in the field of Hymenomycetes for years. The author was attracted to the group commonly known as Clavariaceae as early as 1925 when in England; he continued his studies when working on the staff at the Singapore Botanic Gardens and after his return to England. He got the conviction that before science could undertake a wholesale revision of the present classification of Hymenomycetes, the larger constituent groups should be worked over, one at a time, and ‘their particular kind of fruit-body described in terms of hyphal properties’, and that to omit the tropical element would mean certain failure. Thus, the aims of this admirable volume become clear: a large number of species of “Clavariaceae“ are described in an exemplary manner as to their hyphal structure after the living state, and about all that is known about the group and its species was compiled so that the often quite inadequate tropical library has to a large extent become superfluous. This is one of the rare occasions on which we find that an author’s field knowledge of a group is based rather on tropical than on European or North American materials The author combines with an exceptional tropical field experience, the insight of an agile mind and a great artistic skill for drawing. It might be regretted that he neglected the many and scattered poor specimens in the European and American herbaria that served as a basis for the already described species, but it is fair to point out that, as stated, this side was not his primary object and that it is unreasonable to ask for everything. The result is an imposing book that will serve as an absolutely indispensable guide for every future student of the group. We hope that it will be extensively used by collectors in the tropics, who now can pay attention to a group about which they can instruct themselves at their own will and according to their needs..

Description: As long ago as 1926-27, during my last two years at Utrecht University, when studying the taxonomy and distribution of the Malaysian Bignoniaceae (Thesis 1927), I felt the need for a reference work in localizing inadequately labelled specimens. Material collected in the 19th century, especially that of BLUME, KORTHALS, JUNGHUHN, ZIPELIUS,¹ MOTLEY, HORSFIELD, etc. bear scant notes. Either these collectors did not realize the future value of full data or their notes were not mounted on the sheets in the herbarium and were often subsequently lost. I have also observed a tendency in some authors of tropical plant species in that period to underrate the importance of the locality because of their belief that tropical plants occurred everywhere in the tropics, i.e. were ubiquitous in the plant-geographical sense. Sometimes the collectors were natives accompanying expeditions, who did not make notes, e.g. JAHERI, ACHMAD, etc. Hence, it is often very difficult to trace the exact origin of specimens. KORTHALS’S plants, for example, are mostly labelled merely: ‘Borneo’. This botanist, however, described the parts of Borneo in which he collected and an extensive printed record of his travels is in existence.

Description: The Netherlands’ Indies are part of those humid tropical regions where innumerable species of orchids either may hang down, sometimes in large numbers, from the trunks and branches of trees and shrubs or grow terrestrially in woods or elsewhere. Nevertheless, to every naturalist who takes the trouble of ascertaining the attitude of the native population towards the orchid-family, it at once becomes clear that up to this very moment most of these plants have only succeeded in obtaining a very modest place in the domestic life and even in the interest of the natives. The beauty of the flowers of so very many species seems never or hardly at all to have been observed by them. This is so much the more noteworthy because in other cases the native has usually invented a name, if not a use, for most plants in his surroundings, even for the rarest and most unimportant ones. As regards orchids this has never happened. These plants seem never to have played any part in religious ceremonies and in the numerous myths they are mentioned at best by a few words. On none of the old monuments they are immortalized; even on ornaments of a later date one usually seeks in vain for these plants or their flowers. How is this aloofness of the natives towards such an important part of the flora of their country to be accounted for? Orchids never were of much use either in domestic life or in the domain of medicinal science. Only with the arrival of the Europeans or, more correctly speaking, not before a very short time ago, some interest for orchids was raised with the natives. But this took, practically, only place in imitation of the foreigner, especially when the natives began to see that money was to be made in the orchid-trade. Here and there this unnatural predilection has already lead to consequences of alarming dimensions, because it has not rarely effected the complete or partial extermination of valuable species in regions where formerly they grew copiously. Nevertheless a change in the native denomination of orchids can hardly be observed. All these plants are simply called Anggrèk or Angkrèk and, as a rule, it is not deemed necessary to add a specific name. Only very few orchids can really boast of such a name; most of them remain anonymous. The names Angkrèk panèli and Angkrèk lotjis, Spatulotjis or Spatuklotis are mere corruptions of Vanilla and Spathoglottis. Angkrèk bulan (Phalaenopsis amabilis) and Anggrèk matjan (Vanda tricolor), though both composed of genuinely native words, do not seem to be quite original, though this case is not identical with the two former ones; these names seem only translations of the Dutch names Maan-orchidee (Moon-orchid) and Tijger-orchidee (Tigerorchid). Yet some specific denominations exist, as a rule with some unimportant addition to the word Anggrèk or Angkrèk, e.g. běněr (bětul) = true; beureum (mèrah) = red; bodas (putih) = white; konèng (kuning) = yellow; gědè (běsar) = big; leutik (kětjil) = small, and such-like which, as a matter of fact, have little to do with the notion of species. Very often they only seem to have been invented by plantcollectors wishing to content troublesome interrogators by some plausible answer. Finally there exist some poetic names, for the greater part of very recent date, of which it is likewise difficult to ascertain whether they are really true ones or came into existence by European influences. From the foregoing, in my opinion, it sufficiently appears that the natives hardly knew how to distinguish plants of this group which, in our eyes, is so very interesting. Once more, how is this fact to be accounted for? He who knows better is, of course, free to say so, but to me this enigmatical aloofness of the natives towards orchids seems to prove that these plants do not interest him in any way. The same case presents itself with most Europeans as regards funguses, mosses, algae a.s.o., groups of plants growing in our immediate environment, unsurveyable to many, which seem not to stir our imagination. I cannot find any other explanation of the fact. Notwithstanding what I have said herebefore it may be of interest to shortly discuss which value part at least of the native population of Java sets to orchids, not exclusively regarding the very small economic worth of a few ones but especially with a view to the denomination of the diverse species. Most of the popular names mentioned beneath have proved to be of recent date. Hence they are not yet universally used; often they are of local value only; sometimes they were invented by cunning plant collectors for the benefit of their employers. Nevertheless they are worthy of being registered, with discrimination of course and spelled in the right way. By doing so we may in future attain a better surveyable and more reliable denomination of orchids than could be made now. Everyone who is acquainted with the love felt by the natives for nature and with their extensive knowledge of the multitude of forms shown by the flora of their surroundings, knows quite well how important it is, and will ever be, to judiciously exchange thoughts with them. The native likes to hoax those who do not understand him and it leaves him quite cool whether by his conduct the European thinks to have found one reason more of storming furiously against the traditional irreliability of native information about plants and plant-names. He has had to swallow severer reproaches than the annihilating opinion of incompetent persons. The fault does not lie exclusively with the natives nor entirely with the Europeans but is caused by the lack of a universally acknowledged classification of the popular names in existence. My treatise aims at contributing my mite to a correct valuation of the notions of both parties. Therefore, let us not begin with stumbling over the numerous brand-new plant-names met with at present everywhere but let us express the hope that, once sifted, they will prove useful enough to enable one to find his way in the Indian flora. Wherefore should we hesitate to register names unknown up to now, because they are not yet generally used throughout the island? If ever, then now surely the time has come to take a broad view of this matter, now that the interest shown for orchids by the different races of the population is rapidly increasing, though modern fashion may play a great part in pushing it forward.

Description: Pennisetum sagittatum HENR. nov. spec. — Perenne. Culmi erecti, superne ramosi, ramis implicatis, plus quam 1 m alti, teretes, inferne circa 1 cm crassi, glaberrimi, minute striatuli, straminei, internodia superne violascentia, culmi apicem versus plus minusve angulati, nodi tumidi nigrescentes; vaginae compressae, internodiis breviores, striatae, inferiores sparse pilosae, pilis e basi tuberculato nigro, hiantes, mox a culmo solutae, superne sensim angustatae involutae, sensim in petolium longum attenuatae et loco ligularum in auriculis ad 4 mm longis productae, ligula breviter ciliata; petiolus foliorum longitudine varians, petioli inferiores saltem ad 10 cm longi, superiores sensim decrescentes, summi brevissimi vel nulli et tunc folia sessilia, compressi, 1.5 mm crassi, superne canaliculati; laminae inferiores foliorum petiolatorum valde sagittatae, lobis ad 2.5 cm longis, obtusis, apice incrassatis, nervis sigmoideis, ut in figura demonstravit, laminae propriae inferiores e basi plus quam 1 cm lati, sensim late lanceolatae, circa 25 cm longae, in medio circa 2.5 cm latae, superne sensim angustatae et longe setaceo-acuminatae, multinervosae, supra virides, nervo mediano lato stramineo praeditae, glabrae, subtus pallide glaueae, minute adpresse puberulae, laminae superiores sensim decrescentes, summae haud sagittatae sed e basi rotundato lineari-lanceolatae, eae ramorum 6—8 cm longae, 1 cm vel minus latae. Inflorescentiae e ramorum lateralium erumpentes longe tenuiter pedunculatae, pedunculo subangulato striato, vix ½ mm crasso, panicula subsimplex, angusta, ad 6 cm longa cum spiculis vix 5 mm lata, rhachis angulosus, subflexuosus, spiculae solitariae vel subbinae, sessiles, a basi setis paucis gerentes, setae scabrae, spiculis aequilongae. Spiculae circa 4 mm vel paulo plus longae, circ. 1 mm latae, lineari-lanceolatae, valde asperulae, gluma Ia uninervia, triangulari-rhomboidea vix 1 mm longa, hyalina, gluma IIda spiculam circa 2/3 aequans, sub-7-nervis, nervis parallelis, lateralibus haud percurrentibus, gluma IIIa (lemma sterilis) valde asperula, 5-nervia, spiculam aequans, subobtusa apice angustata et leviter emarginata, in axilla epaleata vel paleam lineari-lanceolatam circa 2 mm longam 3 nervatam inferne glabram superne puberulam fovens, gluma IVa (lemma fertilis) 3-nervata vel leviter 5-nervata, nervis duabus minutis intermixtis, longitudine spiculam, inferne glabra, superne asperula, apice angustata leviter subinvoluta, palea aequilonga, antherae 3 cum filamentis brevissimis circa 2 mm longae, sagittatae. Caryopsis ignota. Bolivia. La Florida (Sur Jungas) 1700 m. s. m. planta perennis 2— 3 m altitudine. 4 fébr. 1932 leg. L. R. PARODI no. 10069. Typus speciei in Herb. Lugd. Bat. sub no. 933.48—180.

Description: Towards the end of February 1936 we received living specimens of this species, which is hitherto known only from Japan, China, the Indochinese Peninsula und Himalaya, collected in West Java, Preanger Residency, by Mr H. W. Kluit, employé of the plantation Ardjoena, section Karang-Toemaritis. The specimens are exactly matched by those of Eastern Asia and were immediately recognized. This isolated locality far from the specific area needs some comment. It is situated between a tea garden and a bamboo thicket at ca 1250 m altitude, in slight shadow. According to the information kindly supplied by Mr Kluit, the plant has been known to him for several years, but has only recently produced flowers. He showed it to numerous visitors and planters but nobody had ever seen this species before. The coolies also knew the species only from this locality, as well as some old natives well acquainted with forest plants. The native name djoekoet hanjir (Sund.) is derived from the strange smell of blood produced by the leaves. The natives even believe in the local legend that the plant has proceeded from the flesh and blood of a man who was killed by a tiger on the same spot. On account of the smell there has been some trouble with the coolies in charge of weeding. As is known from outside Malaysia, the plant is very persistent in a place if once settled, which quality it owes to the long and branched rhizomes, which easily produce buds, and occur to one foot depth. This ecology enables the plant to appear as a common weed in Japan near settlements.

Description: 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. As 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.

Description: The bulbils of Dioscorea sansibarensis fall at maturity and are carried away from the parent plant, if at all, by water: they rest through the Dry season; and germinate when the soil under them is able to supply moisture. The new plant, is thrust into the surface of the soil and there shaped by its geotropic responsiveness. Its tuber is the result of a more or less one-sided enlargement of the first internode of the axis: it is perennial and its greatest growth becomes annular. The annual stems, which rise from the tuber are produced cymosely, each from the lowest axil of its parent axis; and, by arrest of internodes between them, all are sessile on the tuber. Thus crowded they are unable to grow in positions which are theirs theoretically and are accommodated by a certain amount of fluidity in the growth of the top of the tuber. D. sansibarensis must be excluded from the section Opsophyton because its tubers are more specialized organs than its bulbils, as well as on differences in the male inflorescences.

Description: In this paper two grasses from New Guinea are described as new species. One of these is proposed as the type of a new genus, the other is referred to a hitherto supposed monotypic genus which is suggested as the type of a new tribe. Ancistragrostis S. T. Blake; genus novum, e tribu Agrostidearum, affine Deyeuxiae Beauv., sed glumis atque lemmate induratis, lemmate quam glumis conspicue longiore ejus arista robusta uncinata distinguendum.

Description: Unter obenstehendem Titel fange ich die Veröffentlichung einer Reihe mykologisch-systematischer Beobachtungen an, zu welchen ich zum grössten Teil durch das Studium des von mir auf meiner Reise in Niederländisch Ost Indien (1936) gesammelten Materials veranlasst wurde. Zu dieser Reise wurde ich durch ein von der „Koninklijke Akademie van Wetenschappen“ in Amsterdam verliehenes Stipendium im Stande gesetzt. Ich reiste und sammelte auf Java und Enggano (S.W. Küste von Sumatra). Die Expedition nach letztgenannter Insel wurde von dem „Indisch Comité voor wetenschappelijke Onderzoekingen“ und von dem „Koninklijk Nederlandsch Aardrijkskundig Genootschap“ mit unterstützt. Ich beschränke jedoch diese Notizen nicht auf malayische Arten oder Gattungen, erstens weil das bei der geringen Kenntnis der Verbreitung tropischer Pilze kein zweckmässiges Prinzip wäre und zweitens weil ich auch aus anderen Gegenden oft wertvolles Material erhalte über welches sich systematisch wichtige Bemerkungen machen lassen.

Description: The genus Acoridium is characterized by an extraordinary history. The original species, A. tenellum, a native of the Philippine Islands, was described at length from a fruiting specimen in 1843 by Nees von Esenbeck and referred to the Philydraceae. This treatment was prompted by the aspect of the plant, its vegetative structure and the mature seedcapsule adnate on the upper part of the elongated, sedge-like leaf. In 1843, Endlicher (Mant. Gen. Pl. Suppl. 3:59) transferred the genus from the Philydraceae to the doubtful genera of the Burmanniaceae. Until 1879, Acoridium remained a puzzling and inadequately understood concept, and then Boeckler [Flora 62 (1879) 158] placed it in the Cyperaceae, assigning to it a position between Scirpus and Eleocharis, depending entirely for his interpretation on the fruiting type preserved in the Berlin Herbarium ¹). In 1880, Bentham and Hooker referred Acoridium to the genera dubia vel exclusa at the end of their treatment of the Cyperaceae in their ”Genera Plantarum” (3: 1043). This was the situation toward the close of the nineteenth century when Mr C. B. Clark of the Kew Herbarium, after a careful study of the type specimen, concluded that it was not a member of the Cyperaceae. With the hope that its identity might be established, he submitted the type specimen to Mr R. Allen Rolfe who was engaged in critical research among Philippine plants. Fortunately Rolfe was a keen orchidologist. He recognized the plant as being equivalent to a doubtful Philippine orchid which had been erroneously referred to Ceratostylis gracilis Bl. by Andrés Naves (in Blanco, Fl. Filip. ed. 3, Nov. App. 245). However, Rolfe was unable to establish the identity of the doubtful species, because for this purpose flowerless specimens were quite inadequate. At about this time botanical exploration of the Philippines was progressing rapidly as a result of the American occupation of the Islands following the Spanish War of 1898, and A. Loher, a man with a deep interest in orchids, submitted to Rolfe, among other specimens, flowering plants that where clearly referable to Acoridium tenellum. Then it became clear that Acoridium was congeneric with Platyclinis, an orchid genus of long standing and of some horticultural prominence. But as Acoridium antedated Platyclinis, Rolfe accepted it and renamed some thirty-two species of Platyclinis [Orch. Rev. 12 (1904) 219], and over night as it were, from obscurity and uncertain rank Acoridium became a living concept, properly placed in the Orchidaceae. Almost simultaneously with Rolfe’s nomenclatorial revision in 1904, J. J. Smith, the eminent orchidologist of Buitenzorg, with characteristic thoroughness, published his monographic studies of Platyclinis and Dendrochilum (Uebersicht der Gattung Dendrochilum Bl., in Recueil des Travaux bot. Néerl.), merging these genera and reducing Platyclinis to synonymy. As Dendrochilum had been established by Blume in 1825, Rolfe’s new combinations under Acoridium passed into synonymy. Beginning in 1904 (the year in which Rolfe reduced Platyclinis and J. J. Smith monographed Dendrochilum), my interest in the question was being constantly stimulated by a steady stream of Philippine species which were coming in for identification from the Bureau of Science at Manila. In 1908, I published a complete treatment of the Philippine species of Dendrochilum known up to that time and gave my reasons for adopting the view that Acoridium and Platyclinis should be recognized as generic sections. But in restudying the whole matter thirteen years later, with an abundance of material to guide my conclusions, I reëstablished Acoridium as a valid genus, assigning to it those species which had been set apart as a section under Dendrochilum with Acoridium tenellum as the sectional type.

Description: The genus Rutidea was founded by De Candolle in 1807 on a West African plant. Twenthy-three years later in the ”Prodromus“ (IV, p. 495, 1830) he tentatively admitted a second species: it was based on a plant from Penang which he had seen in Blume’s herbarium, where it was labelled ”Rutidea? mollis Bl.“. Subsequently several other species have been added, but as none of them were Asiatic, it was, perhaps, no wonder that Bentham and Hooker f. in their ”Genera Plantarum“ (II, 1, p. 116, 1873) made no mention whatever of Blume’s plant, and regarded the genus as confined to tropical Africa. Hiern, who in the ”Flora of tropical Africa“ gave an excellent description of the genus, and enumerates ten species from tropical Africa, said that it is known from Madagascar also, but he too omitted every reference to its occurrence in Asia. Lemée (Dict. d. Pl. Phan. V, p. 903, 1934) also declares that the genus, which now comprises 25 species, is confined to tropical Africa and Madagascar¹). Blume’s plant was more fully described by Miquel in his ”Ecloge Rubiacearum Archipelagi Indici“ Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugd.-Bat. IV, p. 256, 1869). It is not mentioned, however, in Hooker’s ”Flora of British India“. Boerlage’s remarks on it in his ”Handleiding“ (II, 1, pp. 107 et 142, 1891) also passed unnoticed; at least neither King and Gamble’s ”Materials for a Flora of the Malay Peninsula“ nor Ridley’s ”Flora of the Malay Peninsula“ contain any reference to the plant. This want of recognition is all the more remarkable as the original diagnosis published by De Candolle did not contain anything which would have justified its exclusion from the genus. It is true that Miquel’s more detailed analysis describes the seed as ”sectione transversa semilunale introrse valde concavum“, which sounds ominous, as the seed of Rutidea is globose, but he adds ”nondum maturum“, and it might be possible, therefore, that the unusual form was but a passing stage in its development.

Description: The group of the Dematiaceae is well represented in the Netherlands Indies. Species belonging to genera of a wide distribution, are equally found predominating in temperate regions. Only a rather small number of our dematiaceous fungi seem to be restricted to tropical countries. The species to be discussed in this paper is one of them and as far as I can judge is not only undescribed, but even the type of a new form-genus.

Description: Though the new names published in Thunberg’s “Florida” have been entered in the Index Kewensis, few botanists have tried to verify the status and synonymy of the new species proposed in this 2-thesis booklet. Thunberg’s names were entered in Juel’s “Plantae Thunbergianae” (1918, 412 pp.). The diagnoses are generally too short and vague to allow a definite opinion. Only Schott, Mueller Arg., and F. E. Wimmer have examined material of resp. the Araceae, Euphorbiaceae, Campanulaceae.

Description: Any community of plants is characterized in four main ways — by a definite floristic composition, by definite life-forms, by a definite structure and by a definite habitat or environment. Of these four characters, floristic composition is the most important in defining a plant community in any particular locality. It is a commonplace fact that many parts of the world may show communities of higher plants identical in life-form, structure and habitat but differing widely in their floristic composition. By utilising the three last named characters of a plant community we can group our unit biocoenoses into larger groups.

Description: § 1. Plastic deformation of solid matter under high confining pressures has been insufficiently studied. Jeffreys 1) devotes a few paragraphs to deformation of solid matter as a preface to his chapter on the isostasy problem. He distinguishes two properties of solid matter with regard to its behaviour to external forces: the Rigidity and the Strength. The rigidity being the resistance to elastic stresses, the strength the resistance to shearing forces. The strength has been surpassed when a differential force results in a permanent deformation. Therefore the strength equals the differential pressure necessary to effect shearing or plastic deformation.

Description: Nachdem das Luganer Porphyrgebiet von den Leidener Geologen Kuenen, de Sitter, Harloff, und Doeglas geologisch kartiert wurde, schien es erwünscht dieses Gebiet auch chemisch gründlicher zu untersuchen. Denn nach den alten Analysen von v. Fellenberg (Lit. 10) wurden nur noch von Jakob zwei Analysen der Luganer Gesteine gemacht.

Description: This paper presents the results of the examination of a fairly big collection of mollusca from the island of Mandul, north of Tarakan, East-Borneo. The material was collected by Dr. Van Holst Pellekaan while investigating the geology of Mandul in the service of the “Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij” (Royal Dutch/Shell). It was sent to Prof. K. Martin of Leyden for closer examination, and afterwards was embodied into the collections of the Leyden Geological Museum. Prof. Martin recorded the results of his preliminary examination, which excluded the bivalves, in a report to the “Bataafsche”, dated 12th January 1917. He came to the conclusion that the fossils were of a Pliocene age.

Description: A short time ago I described a new foraminiferal genus from the Tertiary of Borneo 1). I gave this genus the name of Heterospira. Mr. P. H. Oehser of Washington drew my attention to the fact that E. Koken as early as 1896²) had used the name Heterospira for a genus of triassic gastropoda from Hallstatt. Therefore according to the international rules of zoölogical nomenclature, the name Heterospira for a foraminiferal genus being a homonym has to be rejected.

Description: La région que j’ai étudiée et relevée est située dans les Alpes françaises, à environ 4° longitude est et 50°15’ latitude nord, et à environ 2000 mètres d’altitude. Elle fait partie de la chaîne dite „chaîne de Belledonne” qui s’étend des massifs de Beaufort et du Grand Mont dans le N N E jusqu’à ceux du Taillefer et de la Mure dans le S S W. Cette chaîne forme du point de vue géographique comme du point de vue géologique le prolongement méridional de la chaîne des Aiguilles Rouges et de la chaîne du Mont Blanc. Celles-ci font partie de la zone externe des massifs cristallins des Alpes, dont le prolongement en Suisse est connu sous le nom de „massifs centraux des Alpes”. On entend par là les chaînes anté-alpines, et principalement hercyniennes des Alpes, constituées de roches du Houiller d’une part, de formations antérieures d’autre part, et recouvertes enfin de séries d’âges mésozoïque et permien. Dans le sud, cette chaîne hercynienne se divise de nouveau en deux branches, dont la plus orientale, celle des Grandes Rousses, aboutit à la partie déversée vers l’est, dans le massif du Pelvoux. Taillefer et la Mure forment le pivot le plus avancé de cet arc, et en effet ce dernier massif disparaît partiellement vers le S W sous le manteau sédimentaire du Dévoluy (cf. fig. 1). Le massif de Belledonne proprement dit, avec son point culminant: le Grand Pic de Belledonne, qui atteint à quelques mètres près les 3000, forme le tronçon central de cette chaîne et se trouve à quelques kilomètres à l’est de Grenoble dans le département de l’Isère. Il est limité à l’ouest par l’Isère et le Drac; au sud par la Romanche; à l’est par l’Eau d’Olle et au nord par la vallée de Laval et le Col de la Coche. Les Lacs Robert sont à peu près situés au centre du Massif de Belledonne, dans un cirque encoché dans le ralliement méridional de la chaîne occidentale à la chaîne principale du massif. Cette chaîne principale, comprise entre le Jasse Bralart au N et le Petit Vent au S, limite la région levée à l’est, tandis que la Botte et le lac Achard la limitent au sud. A l’ouest elle s’arrête au pied de la Croix de Chamrousse, le pivot méridional, et du Grand Eulier, le contrefort septentrional de la chaîne secondaire; et au nord audessus de la Prairie de l’Oursière. Cette région a une largeur de 3 km et une longueur de 4 km environ. Le Grand Sorbier dans la chaîne principale, avec ses 2522 m. en est le point culminant. L’impraticabilité du terrain fixa des frontières plus ou moins naturelles au lever. En particulier le flanc E de la chaîne principale, qui domine la vallée de Baton, à part quelques sentiers, n’est pas accessible sans danger, à cause du mauvais état de la roche schisteuse. Il en est de même pour la pente occidentale du Grand Eulier et du Casserousse, tandis que le flanc méridional du Petit Vent et de la Botte est un des versants de la gorge profonde de 2000 m. où coule la Romanche. C’est à cela qu’est dû le nombre restreint d’observations faites sur quelques parties de la périphérie.

Description: The following notes have been written during the preparation of the account of the Bignoniaceae for Pulle’s Flora of Suriname, and deal with the more important identifications and namechanges which have been made while the work was in progress. Previous studies on the Guiana representatives of this family appeared in the Kew Bulletin for 1932, pp. 18-28; 81-93. The Suriname material in the Herbaria of Utrecht, Leyden, Brussels and Göttingen has been sent on loan to Kew, and the writer has had the opportunity of studying the whole of the Tropical American Bignoniaceae at Kew, the British Museum, Paris and Geneva; while other specimens have been lent by the Herbaria of Berlin-Dahlem, Munich, Uppsala and Copenhagen. To the authorities of all these institutions he wishes to tender his best thanks; while he is especially indebted to Mr. J. Bausch, of Holland, for his kindness in preparing a number of slides of pollen-grains.

Description: This paper deals with the investigation of soil samples taken near Terhorne on the North-East shore of the “Sneeker Meer”, an expanse of water in the province of Friesland. (see fig. I) According to the geological map, the peat around this large body of water is covered by an 1—4 dm thick layer of young marine clay, but at the place where our samples were taken, the peat reaches the surface. A series of samples were collected from the whole depth of this peat-deposit (see diagram I). The surface lies here 0.35 m below the level of the sea. (As the sealevel is taken the N.A.P., the average height of the water level at Amsterdam.) At a depth of 2.15 or 2.20 m the borer reached the underlying sand. It proved impossible to penetrate with the borer used by us more than 5 to 10 cm into the sand. This sand (diagram 1a, which shows the lowest part of diagram I on an enlarged scale) proved to be of a red-brown colour.

Description: The borings, on which this study is based, were made within a radius of circa 5 miles around Opeinde, a village in the province of Friesland near the Friesland-Groningen border.

Description: The following is an abstract of my notes made during the sessions of the Section for Nomenclature at the 7th International Botanical Congress at Stockholm. The Congress lasted, officially, from 12 till 20 July, 1950. The Section for Nomenclature, however, began to meet on July 7. I wish to state that this review has no authority or official capacity. I made notes for private use and because it seemed useful, on further consideration, to inform the Staff and collaborators of the Flora Nalesiana.. of the changes in the Rules adopted by the last Congress, it was thought best to publish a review here, pending the official publication of the new Rules as a whole. I am told that an official note or communication dealing with the results obtained by the Section for Nomenclature is being prepared and will appear in the first Nuntius Phytotaxonomicus, the new periodical to be issued by the International Bureau of Plant Taxonomy, Secretary Prof. Dr J. Lanjouw at Utrecht.

Description: Ladies and gentlemen! To-day 133 years ago, as you all know, ” ’ s Lands Plantentuin ‘ was founded under the direction of Professor Reinwardt. To-day, however, is the first time that ” ’s Lands Plantentuin“ celebrates its anniversary as ‘Kebun Raya Indonesia’, under the changed circumstances following the transfer of Sovereignty on December 27, 1949.

Description: Adams, J. E.: Studies in the comparative anatomy of the Cornaceae. (Journ. Elisha Mitch. Sci. Soc, 65, 1949, 218-244). Cornaceae probably correctly estimated as the primitive family of the traditional Umbellales. Literature! Anonymous: (Both the entries sub Anonymous on p. 169 of this Bulletin were published anonymously but are referable to Hildebrand F. H.).

Description: Dr A.C. Smith, Washington, DC., promised to revise Schizandraceae Illiciaceae, Himantandraceae, Winteraceae; and Hippocrateaceae for the Flora Malesiana when he will have finished his work on the Fijian Flora. Mr J.H. Kern started a revision of the Malaysian representatives of the genus Viburnum.

Description: Ardisia. Dr W. H. Walker, National Herbarium, Smithsonian Institution , Washington, DC., has started a revision of Ardisia in Malaysia,. Casuarinaceae. Mr J. S. Johnson, Sydney Botanical Gardens, has agreed to revise Casuarinaceae for the Flora Malesiana.

Description: We announce with great regret the death of Dr F. W. Foxworthy, forest botanist, who worked in the Philippines (1911-’ 18) and in the Malay Peninsula (1918-’32). His final work ‘Forests and Forestry of Tropical Asia’ is in the press, a volume in the New Series of Plant Science Books, publishes by Chronica Botanica Cy. C. C. Schröter, Curator of the Tjibodas Mountain Garden, was murdered September 15; a biography will appear in ‘Annales Bogorienses’.

Description: 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.

Description: In my work on the Malay Peninsula, I included such plants as were known from the districts of North Kedah, Perlis and Setul. Botanically however, the Malayan flora ceases at a line running from a little north of Kedah peak Lat. 6.5, to Kota Bahru in North Kelantan Lat. 6.10. It is in fact approximately the termination of the Granitic Mountains as shown in SCRIVENOR’S Map of the Geology of Malaya. North of this line there is a remarkable sudden change in the flora (with also a change of climate and soil) from the Malayan to Indo-Chinese. More than 60 genera of typical Malay plants entirely disappear, and many more are represented by a single species which has crossed the line, and disappears in Tenasserim. Among these plants are the Durioneae, Lowiaceae, Schismatoglottis, Homalomena, Cyrtandra, Neuwiedia, Plocoglottis, Leptaspis and most of Palms. A few plants from southern Siam and Cambodia have invaded the north of the Peninsula chiefly on the East side where the soil is most suitable. It is quite clear that the Peninsula was separated from the Tenasserim—Siam region through the Isthmus of Kra at no very distant period of time and was thus an island. The whole of the Peninsula (Malaya) contains about 52.000 square miles, and is about 485 miles long and 200 miles wide in its widest part. It consists of a mass of mountains usually rising to 5.000 feet alt., with two, Gunong Tahan and Gunong Kerbau 7.000 feet alt., and is fringed on the west coast by lowlands with mangrove bordering the sea, and on the East coast with sandy plains. Except on the latter the whole country is covered by dense forest, the tallest trees being 180 feet tall so that on looking over it from an elevated point, nothing can be seen but the tops of the trees.

Description: The large number of African orchids belonging to the group Monopodiales, the so-called ”Angraecoid Orchids“, constitute a puzzling assemblage of which the main lines of classification are still uncertain. Several well-defined minor groups can, however, be readily distinguished, the most striking of which are such genera as Cyrtorchis Schltr., Aerangis Schltr. (sensu stricto) and Tridactyle Schltr. Among the less welldefined but nevertheless reasonably natural groupings is the genus Rhipidoglossum. This genus was described by Schlechter in his comprehensive treatment and revision of the Angraecoid orchids in 1918. He separated four genera, including Rhipidoglossum, from the remainder on account of the presence of a foot to the column. This character, which appears to be of value in the delimitation of Asiatic genera belonging to the Monopodiales, is, however, of less use in classifying the African genera. Several pairs of closely allied species occur in which one species is with and the other without a foot to the column. On the whole those genera constantly possessing a column-foot can he easily characterised by other more obvious features. Rhipidoglossum, on the other hand, is clearly very closely allied to Diaphananthe in which the column foot is absent or very weakly developed. Indeed the theoretical delimitation of these two genera rests on the presence or absence of a callus in the mouth of the spur, the callus being absent in Rhipidoglossum. At the same time the two genera show different ranges of variation in habit and in floral structure, although the species at the various points of contact closely resemble some of those in the other genus. For instance, the stem is usually elongated in Rhipidoglossum whereas it is short with a rosette type of growth in Diaphananthe. D. bidens, however, which is typical in other respects, has much elongated stems. There is, on the other hand, a tendency towards shortening of the stem in some species of Rhipidoglossum. Secondly, in Diaphananthe the pollinia, although always provided with distinct stipites, usually share a common viscidium. There are also, however, a number of species in which two separate viscidia are found, this feature being general in Rhipidoglossum. The column in the two genera is very similar, and the rostellum is of the same general type.

Description: The genus Rhodamnia, founded by W. JACK (Malayan Miscellanies 1822) on the common Malayan R. cinerea, find its greatest development in the Australian and Papuan regions. DIELS (in LAUTERB., Beitr. Fl. Papuasien, V, ex ENGL., Bot. Jahrb. LVII, 360, 1922) recognizes five species, with a doubtful sixth, in New Guinea. I believe at least seven distinct species occur in Australia. In the present account of the Australian members of the genus, two new species are described, and a complete description of one, previously only known from sterile material is given.

Description: I have hesitated some time over the title of the present paper. The alternative was something like: ”WALLACE versus ZOLLINGER“ or ”The ”idea of a demarcation line through Malaysia, a limiting factor towards ”the progress of biogeography“. However, the first being too agressive, and the second too melodramatic ,the one found in the heading was chosen. The above introductory lines mean to put the reader at once face to face with the nucleus of what I will discuss here: the question how ZOLLINGER’S ”Karte der Flora Malesiana“ of 1857 was apparently almost entirely forgotten, although it well deserves to come under the eyes of modern biogeographers, for the sake of the honour of its author and of the priority of his work.

Description: In 1898 Koorders and Valeton ¹) considered the three species of Miquel’s genus then known as Aphanomyrtus rostrata Miq. Sumatra (and Java?), A. octandra Koord. & Val., Java, and A. camphorata Val., the latter described from a plant cultivated in the Botanical Garden at Buitenzorg, its origin unknown. The three recognized species were well illustrated. They gave an amplified description of Miquel’s genus, calling attention to the fact that it had been erroneously reduced to the very different Baeckea. They did not then realize that the genus Pseudoeugenia Soort. (1885) was a synonym of Aphanomyrtus Miq. Nine years later Valeton ²) again considered the genus, having recognized the identity of Pseudoeugenia Scortechini (1885) with Aphanomyrthus Miquel (1855), and making the reduction of the former. He recognized four species, A. rostrata Miq. (Pseudoeugenia singaporensis King), Sumatra, Banka, and the Malay Peninsula; A. tetraquetra (Miq.) Val. (Jambosa tetraquetra Miq., Aphanomyrtus octandra Koord. & Val., A. octandra var. tetraquetra Koord. & Val.); A. skiophila (Duthie) Val. (Eugenia skiophila Duthie, Pseudoeugenia perakiana Soort.), Penang and the Malay Peninsula, but of which he saw no material (credited also to Sumatra by Ridley); and A. camphorata Val. cultivated at Buitenzorg, Java. Valeton reconsidered the genus in 1907 because of his belief that the Koorders & Valeton paper of 1898 was not generally available to botanists, for in the meantime King (1901) had redescribed Aphanomyrtus rostrata Miq. as Pseudoeugenia singaporensis. Both papers were apparently overlooked by Ridley, for in his Flora of the Malay Peninsula (1922) he still retained the two Malay Peninsula species under Pseudoeugenia, as P. perakiana Scort. and P. singaporensis King; and in 1927 described a third species, P. tenuifolia Ridl., from the Peninsula. In the meantime Greves had recognized Miquel’s genus and described A. Forbesii Greves from Sumatra, which seems to be a synonym of A. tetraquetra (Miq.) Val., and Lauterbach described another species, Aphanomyrtus alata Lauterb., from New Guinea; the last species probably belongs in some other genus.

Description: I have already published in the Malayan Orchid Review, 1936, pp. 104—109, a brief account of two artificial hybrids in the genera Arachnis and Renanthera, and since then have had flowers of a third for examination. The account already written is of a semipopular nature, intended chiefly for orchid-growers, and a more detailed description with some remarks on the botanical aspects of the question appear to be worth publishing. The three hybrids concerned are Arachnis flosaeris X A. Hookeriana, Arachnis Hookeriana X Renanthera coccinea and Arachnis Hookeriana X Renanthera Storiei. All three were raised at the Botanic Gardens, Singapore. The first is of interest because the hybrid is practically identical with Arachnis Maingayi, which has been described as a natural species. The intergeneric hybrids are the first of their kind to be described, and the way in which the different generic characters interact in the formation of the lip of their hybrids is of great interest. First hybrids between orchid species are usually closely intermediate between the two parents, but where the characters contrast strongly, as in the midlobe of the lip of the genera concerned, a strictly intermediate condition is not possible.

Description: Among the old plant collections in book-form, in the Leyden National Herbarium, there are two large volumes, containing a number of well preserved Ceylon plants. These plants are said to have been collected by PAUL HERMANN in the latter half of the 17th century. PAUL HERMANN¹), afterwards Professor of Botany at the University of Leyden, resided in Ceylon as an ”Ordinary and First Physician“ of the Dutch East Indian Company during the years 1672—1679. Several particularities on his life and on the collections made by him, are to be found in LINNAEUS’S Flora Zeylanica (6), in TRIMEN’S paper entitled ”Hermann’s Ceylon Herbarium and Linnaeus’s Flora Zeylanica“ (8), in BOULGER’S study on the history of Ceylon botany (2) and in ARDAGH’S note on HERMANN’S herbarium (1). During his residence in Ceylon HERMANN collected the herbarium, which is now in the possession of the Department of Botany of the British Museum of Natural History, London. The history of this herbarium has been described in TRIMEN’S paper (8). This was not the only collection he made, for on page 131 of TRIMEN’S paper we find that ”Besides the herbarium under consideration, Hermann formed another whilst in Ceylon, which he sent to ”J. Commelin at Amsterdam. It was from this collection (combined with ”that made by J. Hartog, which was sent from Ceylon to Voss, Curator ”of the Amsterdam Gardens) that J. Burman, Commelin’s successor, com”piled his ‘Thesaurus Zeylanicus’.“ On page 132 TRIMEN mentions still other collections: ”Hermann also sent specimens to other botanists of ”the time, especially to Gronovius“ (the latter fact must be incorrect, for as BOULGER (2) rightly states GRONOVIUS was only five years old at HERMANN’S death in 1695). These ”other botanists“ may have been BREYNE and PLUKENET (see ARDAGH’S note [1]). It is possible that one of the ”sets“ came in some way into the possession of the Leyden University and is now in the Leyden Herbarium. However, there is a possibility that, after HERMANN’S death in 1695, a part of his plants, were left at Leyden.