Past and present vegetation of the Isle of Skye: H. J. B. Birks. Cambridge University Press,London, 1973, 415 pp., £13.50

Ice-wedge casts in southern Quebec are exclusive to deposits pertaining to two ice front positions during the retreat of the Laurentides ice sheet: the Highland front morainic system located at the southern margin of the St. Lawrence lowlands, and the St. Narcisse front morainic system located at the southern margin of the Laurentides highlands. Wedge casts filled with sand and gravel are relic of true ice wedges and give evidence of former permafrost conditions in the ground during the retreat of the ice sheet in that area, between 13 000 and 11 000 years B.P. Mean annual air temperature was lower than −6°C, a difference of 8–12° with the present-day temperature. Humidity was high enough to allow the growth of ice wedges in the permafrost. These rigorous climatic conditions prevailed during a few centuries only. There is no positive evidence of tundra conditions in southern Quebec young than 11 000 years ago.     

HYBRIDS AND GENOME RELATIONS OF HIBISCUS SABDARIFFA,H. MEEUSEI,H. RADIATUS AND H. ACETOSELLA

Chromosome pairing was studied in the following hybrids: Hibiscus radiatus-meeusei (tetraploid F₁), H. sabdariffa-meeusei (tetraploid F₁ and spontaneous allooctoploid F₂), and hexaploid H. acetosella-(sabdariffa-meeusei). Genome constitutions of the species adduced from these data are symbolized as follows: H. radiatus and H. acetosella, AABB; H. meeusei, AAXX; H.sabdariffa, XXYY or AAYY.     

中国云南象牙参属(姜科)一新种——苍山象牙参

描述了中国云南姜科Zingiberaceae一新种——苍山象才参Roscoea cangshanensisM．H．LUO,X．F．Gao＆H．H．Lin。该种与大理象牙参R．forrestii Cowley在体态上相近,但唇瓣深裂成2裂片,每个裂片再2裂,基部收缩成具白色条纹的柄,叶片较狭窄,（2-）7-24×1．5-2．5cm,叶片基部狭缩成叶柄状而不同。该新种叶片基部狭缩成叶柄状,唇瓣倒卵状楔形,长2．5-3．5cm,宽2．5-3．0cm,基部收缩成具白色条纹的柄,与长柄象牙参R．debilis Gagnep．相似,但苞片非管状,较短,长5-15mm,隐藏于叶鞘内,花冠管较长,10-12.5cm,唇瓣深裂成2裂片,每个裂片再2裂,可与后者明显区别。     

Pathogenicity of Hirschmanniella oryzae,H. spinicaudata,and H. imamuri on Rice

In greenhouse experiments Hirschmanniella oryzae, H. imamuri, and H. spinicaudata depressed and delayed the tillering and flowering of rice, and suppressed root and shoot growth and grain yield.