ae 
BOTANY OF THE CEYLON PATANAS. 459 
one side and one on the other. All these variations were noticed 
in the few twigs at our disposal for examination. 
In the nodal region the lateral stele gives out a branch which 
joins the petiolar fibrovascular bundle just about where this 
latter passes into the stem stele. An offshoot from this branch 
goes to the stipule. 
No mention of this peculiarity for the genus is to be found in 
Solereder’s work. It resembles to some extent the stem-structure 
of certain lianas *. 
(6) Stipular Glandsand Root-swellings of Hedyotis verticillaris.— 
This interesting plant, so different in habit ¢ from the rest of 
the Rubiacex, has very conspicuously stalked glands on its large 
stipules. These belong most likely to the type found in the 
genus Coprosma of the same order, a short account of which was 
given before the Linnean Society by Gardiner ¢ in 1883. 
Each gland is papillate in shape, and consists of a core of 
parenchyma covered by an epithelium (Pl. 12. fig. 11). No tra- 
cheids were observed to penetrate the tissue of the gland. Their 
function is unknown. An absorptive one has been suggested, 
since they are immersed in the water which collects in the con- 
cavities formed by the rosette of leaves. 
The roots in the material collected of this plant often showed 
swellings; in these the central stele was considerably broken up. 
In one case the fibrovascular tissue seemed to consist of a ring 
of isolated bundles. These thickenings may be caused by 
external injury or disease, and not be a normal feature of the 
plant. 
IX. Summary. 
To recapitulate some of the more important facts and con- 
clusions gleaned from an anatomical investigation of these 80 
plants :— 
(1) The leaves of the “dry” patana plants examined do not show 
more marked xerophytic characters than do those of the 
“wet” patanas. In fact the two sets of plants are very 
similar in this respect. Chief points of difference are : 
(a) “ Wet” patana plants have deeper upper and lower 
epidermal layers. 
* Schenck, Anat. d. Lianas, 1893, p. 142. 
t Pearson, Journ. Linn. Soc., Bot. xxxiv. (1899) pp. 331 and 343. 
{ Gardiner, Linnean Soc. meeting Dec. 20th, 1883 (never published) ; also 
Note in Bot. Centralbl. 1884, ii. 
