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I9I2] CURRENT LITERATURE 363

developfirstas confervoid bodies,growingby a singleapical cell. This body

then becomes monostromatic, with a monosiphonousstipe. The two cells
situatedside by side at the same level below the apical cell initiatethe mono-
stromaticblade, and thisblade becomesdistromaticat base, and at the same
time the monosiphonousstipe becomespolysiphonous. A new meristematic
tissueappears at the transitionregionbetweenblade and stipe. The growth
bothin lengthand breadthis due to the apical and stipo-frondal growthup to
a certainperiod. The apical growthgraduallydiminishesand finallyceases,
and thenerosionof the apex of the blade follows. A singleprecorticallayer
oflargeparenchymatous cellsis developedat the transitionregionbetweenthe
already existingtwo layers. The hyphal cells are formedas the precortical
layerbecomesdoubled,and the expansionof theirdistal ends into a trumpet
shape takes place at the intercellular spaces. The ribs and meridionalregion
are formedby special thickeningof the corticallayers. The dorsiventrality
of the lamina, if it exists,is indicatedsimultaneously with the formationof
these parts. The cryptostomata in the Laminariaceaedo not originatefrom
a singlecell.-S. YAMANOUCHI.

Geotropism.-ARPAD PAAL14 finds that reductionof the air pressure

lengthensthegeotropicreactionand presentation timesin therootofPhaseolus
vulgaris. The presentation timewas 6 minutesat one atmosphere;20 minutes
at 0. 74; 35 minutesat o. 2I; and 70 minutesat o. o8. The reactiontimewas
foundmarkedlyvariablewhenall controllableconditionswereconstant. From
the averageofmanymeasurements, the authorfindsthatif at one atmosphere
the reactiontimeis consideredas i, at a. 74 atmosphereit is I. 09; at 0. 34
atmosphereI.39; at 0. 2i atmospherei. 6o; and at o. o8 atmosphere2. 20.
It is interestingto see what slightreductionsin pressurecause a lengthening
of thesecriticaltimes. It is well knownthat the respiratory intensityis not
cut untilthe pressureis reducedto a muchgreaterdegree. If the effects here
are due to thereducedoxygenpressure,as is assumed,one sees whata complex
roleoxygenplaysin theorganism,theseveralfunctions apparentlyhavingvery
different criticalpressures. The authorconcludesthat the lengthening of the
reactiontimeis due to the sum of the effectof reducedpressureuponthesen-
sory and motor phases and to the telescopingof these phases.-WILLIAM
CROCKER.

Formaldehyde and green plants.-GRAFEI5 finds etiolated plants or

non-chlorophyllparts of green plants very sensitive to vapors of formaldehyde,
especially if the cultures are illuminated. The chlorophyll-bearing parts
(Phaseolus vulgaris) are not injured by concentrations as great as I . 3 per cent

14 PAAL, ARPAD, Analysedes geotropischen

ReizvorgangsmittelsLuftverdunnung.
Jahrb.Wiss. Bot. 50:I-20. I9II.

IS GRAFE, VIKTOR, Untersuchungenuiber das Verhalten griunerPflanzen zu

GasformigenFormaldehyde. Ber. Deutsch. Bot. Gesells.29: I9-26. I9 I.
364 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [APRIL

of the atmosphere. Illuminatedculturesof greenseedlingsin CO2 freecham-

bersgave muchgreatergrowthand increaseddryweightifformaldehyde vapors
werepresentthan if theywerenot. It was necessaryof courseto protectthe
non-chlorophyll-bearingparts fromcontactwith the vapors. Formaldehyde
increasesthe reducingsugars in Phaseolus at the expenseof starchdeposit.
This may accountforthe failureof starch to appear as a resultof the syn-
thesisof formaldehyde.These results,with the more tellingexperiments of
SCHRYVER,'i6 USHER and PRIESTLY,17 and others,furnish
strongevidencethat
formaldehydeis an intermediateproduct in photosynthesis.-WILLIAM
CROCKER.

Phosphorus content of oat grains.-LEWONIEWSKA i8 findsthat the

phosphoricacid contentof oat grains,measuredboth in absoluteamountand
in its ratio to the nitrogen,varies greatlywithculturalconditions,involving
variationin fertilizersand natureof the soil. The variationis mainlydue to
theinorganicand phytinphosphoricacid, and not to the proteinand lecithin
phosphoric acid. The authorthinksthatan excessin thesoilleads to itsstorage
in the inorganicand phytinforms. A variationin thenitrogencontentofthe
grainis mainlydue to the proteinnitrogen. The authorconcludesthat the
phosphoricacid supplyin the soil can be best judged by the ratioof inorganic
and phytinphosphoricacid to proteinnitrogenin thegrain. The probabilities
are that the conditionsdetermining the proportionof absorptionand formof
storageof nitrogenand phosphoruscompoundsare muchmorecomplexthan
the authorassumes.-WILLIAM CROCKER.
A new genus of yeasts.-NADSON and KONOKOTINE'9have described
a new genus (Guilliermondia) of Saccharomycetes, in the culture of which they
observed the pairing and fusingof unequal cells (" gametes "), resultingin a cell
that became an "ascus " producing one spore (sometimes two spores). In the
germination of the spore under usual conditions, cells with the ordinary
budding habit were produced. The full account is in Russian and the brief
summary in French.-J. M. C.

i6 SCHRYVER, S. B., Photochemicalformationof

formaldehydein greenplants.
Proc. Roy. Soc. London B 82:226-232. i9io; rev. in BOT. GAZ.5I:470-471. 1911.
I7 USHER, F. S., and PRIESTLY, J. H., Proc. Roy. Soc. London B 84: 10I-II2.
I9II.
i8
LEWONIEWSKA, S., Schwankungenin dem Gehalte der Pflanzensamenan
einzelnenPhosphorsaureverbindungen in ihrerAbhdngigkeitvon Vegetationsbedin-
gungen. Bull. Acad. Sci. Cracovie 19II:85-96.
I9 NADSON, G. A., and KONOKOTINE, A. G., Guilliermondia,un nouveau genrede
la familledes Saccharomycetesa copulation het6rogamique. Bull. Jard. Imp. Bot.
St. P6tersbourgII:117-143. figs. 45. I9II.