ANATOMY OF A PLANT FROM SENEGAMBIA. 155 
On the Anatomy of a Plant from Senegambia. By ANNIE 
Lorrain Surra. (Communicated by G. F. Scorr ELuior, 
M.A., F.L.S.) 
[Read 15th June, 1893, ] 
(Puate VIII.) 
THe unnamed plant described below was brought home from 
Tropical Africa by Mr. Scott Elliot, who found it on dry sandy 
laterite, between Sulimania and the Niger, about a quarter of a 
mile before the Farana ford. He very kindly placed it, along 
with his notes, at my disposal for investigation. 
Our object has been to see if anatomical characters would 
throw any light upon the affinity of the plant, which, unfortun- 
ately, had neither flower nor fruit to guide us in its determination. 
The plant is one of striking facies and likely to imprint its 
appearance on the memory, but no systematist at the British 
Museum or at Kew has recognized it. The guesses as to its 
affinity from macroscopic characters alone varied from Lycopo- 
diacee and Conifere on to Acanthacee, Melastomacee, and Lhyme- 
leacee. I do not propose to give a very detailed account of the 
anatomy, since dried specimens do not afford adequate material 
for such a task. I have, however, made out enough to indicate 
the interesting character of the subject of examination. 
On Pl. VIII. fig. 1, I have represented part of the plant reduced 
by onethird. The root-stock, which is broken off just below the 
ground, isastout structure with lateral rootleis, and is evidently 
persistent from year to year. The primary branches are radical 
and grow from 9 inches to a foot in height ; they have no annual 
rings, and can be of only one year’s growth. The leaves are de- 
cussate with a marked stipular line ; the broad bases embrace 
the stem, and they closely overlap the pair of leaves immediately 
above (fig. 1). ‘The secondary slender branches have grown 
about half the height of the primary branches, they are inserted 
a little to the side of the axil of alternate leaves with a divergence 
of 4, but only those near the tip of the parent branch attain to 
full development. These secondary branches are round or only 
slightly flattened ; the primary branches are flattened to an almost 
rectangular shape. The older leaves are broad at the base, 
cordate-acuminate, with parallel veins and a strong midrib ending 
in ahard point. The leaves of the younger branches are narrower 
and less developed, aud show three distinct veins, especially after 
