ALBERT

Description: The surprisingly high content of radium in certain deep-sea sediments discovered nearly fifty years ago by J. Joly remained unexplained until 1937, when H. Pettersson suggested an ocean-wide precipitation of ionium from sea water on to the ocean bottom as its origin. Extensive radium measurements on deep-sea cores raised by the Swedish Deep-Sea Expedition carried out in this institute by Pettersson, T. Bernert and me did not confirm the regular vertical distribution of radium reported by other workers. An expected rise in radium content from moderate values in the uppermost surface layers to a maximum corresponding to a radioactive equilibrium between precipitated ionium and ionium-supported radium generally occurred; but the maximum was not followed by the theoretical exponential decline downwards governed by the rate of decay of ionium, to 50 per cent in 83,000 years, to 25 per cent in 166,000 years, etc. Instead, a number of secondary maxima of radium content separated by equally pronounced minima were observed (see graph), which could not well be explained as due to intervening changes in the rate of total sedimentation. Another explanation offered was that ionium and radium are not in radioactive equilibrium; that is, the assumption underlying the use of measurements of radium as indicating the concentration in the same layer of its mother element is unjustified.

Description: Material: Indochina, Tonkin, Manson Mts. 2\xe2\x80\x943000\xe2\x80\x99. April\xe2\x80\x94May. (Coll. H. FRUHSTORFER), 2 \xe2\x99\x82 \xe2\x99\x82, 1 \xe2\x99\x80.\nColour: probably somewhat faded. Head yellowish, with frons and vertex rather dark brown. Antennae yellowish, the distal part of the 6th, and the 7th joint brownish. Somites with a broad median yellowish band from collum to tail and yellowish lateral keels, the rest castaneous, slightly paler at the ventral side. Sternites and legs yellowish.

Description: Neuwiedia (sect. Euneuwiedia) Griffithii Rehb.f. Xenia Orch. II (1874), 215; Rolfe in Journ. Linn. Soc. XXV (1890), 235, 241, t. XLVIII, fig. 2\xe2\x80\x949; in Orch. Rev. II (1894), 276; IV (1896), 329; Hook. f. Fl. Br. Ind. VI (1890), 176; in Bot. Mag. CXXI (1895), t. 7425; Krzl. Orch. I (1897), 4; Pfitz. in Pflanzenr. IV. 50 (1903), 5; Ridl. in Journ. Linn. Soc. XXXII (1896), 416; Mat. Fl. Mal. Penins. I (1907), 231; Fl. Mal. Penins. IV (1924), 296.\nPlanta in genere parva. Caulis erectus, rigidus, teres, dilute viridis, c. 14 cm longus, 0.63 cm diam., c. 10-folius. Folia erecto-patentia, recurva, lanceolata, sensim longe et acutissime acuminata, basi acuta sensim in petioluin contracta, plicaita, nervis c. 7 subtus prominentibus, nervis tenuioribus alternantibus, papyracea, utrinque nitidule viridia, c. 18.5\xe2\x80\x94 22 cm longa, 4\xe2\x80\x945 cm lata, summa minora; petiolus latus, canaliculatus, 3-costatus, cum vagina tubulosa antice basi excepta rumpente c. 5.5\xe2\x80\x946.5 cm longus. Inflorescentia erecta, foliis multo brevior, subdense multiflora, cylindrica, pedunculo hirtello, atroviridi, c. 4 cm longo, nonnullis vaginulis in bracteas vergentibus donato, rachide angulato-cylindrica, patentissime hirtella, atroviridi, c. 6.5 cm longa. Bracteae patentes, incurvulae, e basi ovata sensim longe subulato-acuminatae, anguste obtusae, basi rachidem semiamplectentes, praesertim basi concavae, dorso et margine hirtellae, 3-nerviae, virides, ad c. 1.4 cm longae, superiores minores. Flores quaquaversi, parvuli, patentes, nutantes, sepalis dorso patentissime superne patenter strigillosis petalisque conniventibus, concavis, tenuibus, albis, pallide flavescenti-apiculatis. Sepalum dorsale ellipticum, apiculo tereti strigilloso, valde concavum, totum c. 0.83 cm longum, apiculo 0.05 cm, 0.4 cm latum. Sepala lateralia oblique ovato-elliptiea, apice cucullatoobtusa cum apiculo recto tereti-subulato strigilloso 0.08 cm longo, concava, costa media dorso convexo-incrassata, tota c. 0.87 cm longa, 0.375 cm lata. Petala late elliptico-obovata, obtusa, apice vix cucullata, basi margine antico vix unguiculato-contraeta, concava, costa media dorso valde incrassata strigosaque apice in apiculum brevem producta in praefloratione inter sepala prominente, c. 0.8 cm longa, 0.525 cm lata. Labellum a gynostemio subrectangule patens et recurvulum, supra basin obtusangule incurvum, stigma paululum superans, valde concavum, explanatum cuneato-angulato-obovatum, apice cucullato-obtusissimum, ungue cuneato excepto leviter crispulum et erosulum, basi intus valde convexoincrassatum, costa media dorso valde prominente et strigosa apice in apiculum incurvulum teretem hirtellum producta, fere 0.8 cm longum, mucrone 0.05 cm longo, 0.6 cm latum. Gynostemium totum c. 0.62 cm, usque ad apicem antherarum 0.4 cm longum. Stamina 3, glabra, inferne cum stylo in columnam rotundato-trigonam supra subtusque 2-sulcatum, c. 0.13 cm longam connata, superne divergentia, filamenti dorsalis pars libera a dorso compressa, oblonga, vix flavescenti-alba, c. 0.1 cm longa; filainentorum lateralium pars libera dorsali similis, 0.13 cm longa; antherae conniventes, fere basifixae, introrsae, praesertim dorsalis valde incurvae, cordatae, apicem versus paululum angustatae, late obtusae, lobis basilaribus obtusis, dorso valde convexae cum sulco levi longitudinali, crassae, vix flaveseenti-albae, dorsalis fere c. 2 cm longa, 0.14 cm lata, laterales bene 0.2 cm longae, 0.175 cm latae. Stylus undatus, teres, leviter clavatus, apice (stigmate) obtusus et papillosus, albus, basi dilute. sulphureus, totus c. 0.6 cm, parte libera 0.525 cm longus. Ovarium pedieellatum curvulum, rotundato-trigonum, patentissime strigillosum, pedicello apicem versus incrassato, pallide viridi, c. 0.33 cm longo, ovario trigono-ellipsoideo, viridi, c. 0.4 cm longo, fere 0.3 cm diam., apice in rostrum apice obliquum pallide viride dorso c. 0.275 cm longum contractum.

Description: In Blumea V (1943), 316, I published a list of the Orchidaceae collected by Dr van Steenis in Atjeh. In this list a certain number of specimens were purposely omitted, on account of the fact that flowers had been preserved in alcohol, which material, however, was apparently not extant in Leiden. Under these conditions I have worked up the herbarium so far as possible from the dried specimens only.\nPeristylus goodyeroides (D. Don) Lndl. Gen. et Sp. Orch. (1835), 299; etc.

Description: Manilkara Adanson em. Gilly, Trop. Woods 73, 1943, 1\xe2\x80\x9422 \xe2\x80\x94 Manilkara Adanson, Fam. 2,1763,166; Dubard, Ann. Mus. col. Mars. 23,1915,6; Baehni, Candollea 7, 1938, 394\xe2\x80\x94508; Lam, Blumea 4, 2, 1941, 323; Lam, Blumea 5, 1, 1942, 41 \xe2\x80\x94 Manilkara Rheede, Lam in Bull. Jard. bot. Bzg, s\xc3\xa9r. 3, 7, 1925, 238; Lam, 1. c., s\xc3\xa9r. 3, 8, 1927, 481 \xe2\x80\x94 Manyl-kara Rheede, Hort. Mal. 4, 1673, 53, t. 25 \xe2\x80\x94 Mimusops L., sect. Ternaria DC., Prodr. 8, 1844, 203; as a subgenus in Engler, Monogr. Afr. Pfl. Fam und Gatt. 8, 1904, 55 \xe2\x80\x94 Delastrea A. DC, Prodr. 8, 1844, 195 \xe2\x80\x94 Labramia A. DC, 1. c. 672 \xe2\x80\x94 Mimusops L., sect. Euternaria Engl., 1. c., p.p. (except sect. Muriea) \xe2\x80\x93 Northia (not of Hook, f.) sensu Lam, 1. c. 1925, 241 and 1927, 481, p.p.; Lam, Bern. P. Bish. Mus. Bull. 141, 1936, 163 \xe2\x80\x94 Northiopsis Kanehira, Bot. Mag. Tokyo 47, 1933, 677; Lam, 1. c. 1941, 343; Lam, 1. c. 1942, 43 \xe2\x80\x94 Faucherea Lec., Bull. Mus. hist. nat. 26, 1920, 248 \xe2\x80\x94 Achras L., Sp. Pl., 1753, App. 1190; Loefling, Iter Hisp,, 1758, 186; Lam, Bull. Jard. bot. Bzg, s\xc3\xa9r. 3, 7, 1925, 218; Lam, 1. c., s\xc3\xa9r. 3, 8, 1927, 476; Little, Brittonia 7, 1948, 48.\nLaticiferous trees. Leaves alternate, coriaceous, often obovate with rounded tip, stipules caducous; midrib impressed or crested above, prominent below, secondary and tertiary nerves parallel, secondary ones hardly stronger than tertiary nerves, the latter slender, descending from margin, often stretchedly and minutely reticulate. Inflorescences axillary, clustered, manyflorous. Flowers hermaphrodite, pedicellate, pedicel often incrassate when fruiting. Calyx with 2 whorls of 3 lobes each. Corolla with 6 lobes, each of them with 2 dorsal or lateral segments which are sometimes reduced or wanting. Stamens 6, epipetalous, inserted in the row of the staminodes, anthers dehiscing extrorsely. Staminodes 6, petaloid, alternipetalous, ovate, acuminate,, usually dentate or lobed. Ovary 6\xe2\x80\x9414-celled, cells 1-ovuled, ovules axile, anatropous to campylotropous. Fruit a dryish berry, 1\xe2\x80\x946- seeded; seeds compressed to terete, pear-shaped to oblong ellipsoid, scar basiventral or almost basal, large to small, wide to narrow, oblong to linear, with the hilum at the apical and the micropyle at the basal end; testa crustaceous; albumen copious, cotyledons foliaceous, thin, ovate, radicle long exserted, cylindrical.

Description: The following new species of Terminalia will be included in the forthcoming account of the Combretaceae for the Flora Malesiana where their respective positions in the key will indicate more clearly their relationship to already described species.\nTerminalia capitulata Exell, sp. nov.

Description: In a previous number of this volume (Blumea V, nr. 1, 1942, p. 66\xe2\x80\x9480), one of the junior writers of the present paper published an account of nomenclatorial changes concerning javanese Verbenaceae. This paper was written as a supplement to a larger work by the senior writer, who has for long years devoted most of his activities to the study of the flora of Java, on which it was his privilege to publish some more or less extensive papers, all of them in the Dutch language 2). These publications may be considered materials for a Flora of Java. In fact, some of them have the character and even the title of such a flora, though on account of several circumstances none of them could be completed.\nSince the senior writer had retired from his official duties, an attempt was made to fill up this gap. For this purpose numerous scattered annotations were sorted and a start was made with the design of a reviewed and complete Flora of Java, again in Dutch. However, it soon became evident that this work was too extensive a task for a single man of my age and I therefore requested the help of the director of the Rijksherbarium at Leiden. Through his kind mediation the collaboration was procured of some junior assistants. In the first phase of the work financial support to this end was kindly granted, first by the \xe2\x80\x9cMaatschappij ter Bevordering van het Natuurkundig Onderzoek der Nederlandsche Koloni\xc3\xabn\xe2\x80\x9d and afterwards also by the \xe2\x80\x9cKorthalsfonds\xe2\x80\x9d, managed by the Royal Netherlands\xe2\x80\x99 Academy of Sciences at Amsterdam and by \xe2\x80\x9cGreshoff\xe2\x80\x99s Rumphiusfonds\xe2\x80\x9d. Prof. Dr A. A. Pulle, Utrecht, kindly took an interest in this work and lent his intermediary in procuring the greater part of the necessary funds. In a later stage, however, also the Government could be convinced of the importance of this work and of a rapid rate of its progress and first one, later on two assistants were added to the Staff of the Rijksherbarium with the special instruction to assist me in my work. Recently a third assistant was appointed at the Botanical Museum and Herbarium of the Utrecht University. I take pleasure to avail myself of this opportunity to tender my best thanks to Dr Pulle and to Dr Lam for their kind collaboration, as well as to the Societies and Foundations, whose generous help in the earlier phases of the work appeared to be vital for starting it.

Description: Abbayes, H. des: Trait\xc3\xa9 de Lich\xc3\xa9nologie. 217 pp., 109 fig., 8\xc2\xb0. Paris 1951.\nAkamine, E.H.: Viability of Hawaiin forest seeds in storage at various temperatures and relative humidities (Pac. Sc. 5, 1951, 36-46).

Description: Mr A.G.L. Adelbert was on short leave in Holland, Nov. 1951-April 1952; during Dr Donk\xe2\x80\x99s leave he has been appointed acting Keeper of the Herbarium Bogoriense.\nMr E.G. Browne assumed duty as Head of the Sarawak Forest Department, Jan. 1951.

Description: This important book, written by C.A. Gardner after 30 years of field study and several years of preparation, deals with 420 species of grasses of which over a hundred have been provided with a plate, by which the habit and important details are shown. Especially the drawings of various parts of the spikelets are very skilful, instructive, and of the utmost importance for students of critical genera.\nThere is an introductory part giving a general survey of the grass vegetation of W. Australia. It is a revelation to see that so many introduced and naturalised species had to be included; this striking invasion of 132 species affects a great change in the original vegetation.