180 MR. P. GROOM—CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE 
spaces between the sheathing scale-leaves and the axis are filled 
with mucilage. The fairs are directed upwards and pressed 
against the surface. Each hair consists of a row of cells. In 
slightly older parts of the bud the hairs consist of fewer cells, and 
often the terminal cells may be seen to have burst. This suggests 
that mucilage is produced successively in the cells of the hair, 
the process commencing at the distal terminal cell, which is the 
first to be thrown off, and gradually travelling down to the other 
cells. One peculiarity in these hairs on the scales is that the 
lateral and lower walls of the basal cell are thick and cuticularized ; 
but peculiar slit-like pits in the lateral walls plaee the cell in 
communication with the adjoining epidermal cells, though not in 
communication with the hypodermal cells. 
The distribution of starch in the scape is interesting. A short 
distance below the actual apex in the bud there is starch in the 
ground-tissue, but not in the epidermis. The hypoderma is poor 
in starch, probably because it is being drained by the hairs for 
the purpose of manufacturing mucilage. The cells composing 
the immature general sheath are richest in starch. 
Lower down there is no starch, save in the guard-cells of the 
stomata, till we approach the rhizome, where starch reappears in 
the cortex. 
The hairs are transitory, but, in contrast to those of Galeola, 
they arise on all parts of the shoot-axis, and are not confined 
to the upper portion of the inflorescence-axis. 
Histology of the Scales. 
(I.) Scale well below the floral region of the scape.—The scale 
is constituted of about seven layers of cells :—1. The outer (lower) 
epidermis has cuticularized outer walls which are not thick. There 
are a few remnants of hairs, and a good number of stomata, which 
are much more numerous than on the corresponding part of the 
axis. The form of the stomata and the guard-cells varies greatly 
(Pl. V. figs. 3a, b, e, d), so that some of these stomata are 
certainly amongst the most unique known. The variability in 
form of the stomata suggests that we may be dealing with struc- 
tures which are undergoing functional atrophy. The stomata 
are raised on slight eminences and the guard-cells protrude. 
Beneath each stoma there is an intercellular space of relatively 
large size. The guard-cells have large chromatophores (plastids), 
which often are packed with minute starch-grains. 2. The meso- 
