AND HISTOLOGY OF PIPER BETLE. 365 
lengthwise. It is faintly strigose, light green, membranous. When held 
up against light it shows about a dozen translucent lines. "These are the 
mucilage-canals that traverse it length wise. The length of a sheath varies 
according to its position on the plant and vigour ОЁ growth up to 30 mm. 
The Flowers *.—lhe individual flowers are very minute and unisexual. 
So far I have not come across a single plant of the female sex t. The male 
flowers form a pendulous cylindrical сайса (Pl. 17. fig. 7). The stalk of the 
Кіп measures about 2 cm. and the catkin itself 10 em. in length and 
2 mm. in diameter. The flowers are extremely reduced, consisting as they 
do of a couple of stamens inserted in the axil of a braet. The bracts are 
arranged in a thickly crowded spiral series, as in a pine cone (PI. 17. fig. 8). 
Each bract is peltate, with a short stalk (Pl. 17. fig. 9). The stalk bears 
simple or uniseriate multicellular hairs done up in bunches. Of the 
stamens, the filament is extremely short, and resembles, and is not delimited 
from, the connective (Pl. 17. fig. 10). It measures 1 mm. in height. It 
is oval in outline and not eylindrical as filaments generally are. The longer 
axis of the oval measures 2 mm. and the shorter less than 1 mm. The anther 
in the immature state shows four loculi arranged in a cross (РІ. 17. fig. 11); 
when mature the cavities run together. The pollen-grains in the dry state 
are oval and measure 11 р у 9 u. The mature inflorescence is strongly 
aromatic ; the aroma is peculiar in itself, but reminds me most of Michelia 
Champaea t. 
HisrorLocGv. 
L CAVES, 
Upper Epidermis.—This epidermis is many-layered. It cannot be peeled 
off $ bv a simple act of tearing the leaf. The usual number of layers is 
three. All the layers are derived from the dermatogen: this is characteristic 
of the natural order to which the plant belongs. When young the lateral 
walls of the epidermal and hypodermal cells coincide with one another 
(РІ. 19. fip. 35). As growth proceeds, the number of epidermal cells increases 
by the formation of new lateral walls. This results in the epidermal cells 
acquiring a smaller size than the hypodermal cells (РІ. 18. fig. 22). The 
* Stray inflorescences occur. throughout the year, but the regular flowering-time is April 
and Мау, 7. e. the hot season preceding the monsoon. 
T Dr. Harold H. Mann, Principal, Agricultural College, Poona, suggests that it may 
be the result of selection of male plants by the cultivators at one time, when fruiting of the 
vines may have serious!y interfered with vegetative growth. 
I References: ‘Flora of British India, by Sir J. D. Hooker, vol. v. p. 85, and the 
references quoted there. 
$ The epidermis of leaves peels off most readily froni either surface, as a rule, in the cases 
of mesophytes and succulent xerophytes. 
