410 CLAUDEA ELEGANS, 
As the frond of Claudea is proliferous, its divisions, as its 
growth extends, are but a repetition of the first formed frond, 
the whole consisting of a congeries of falcate, unilateral, 
seemingly skeleton leaves, every new leaf springing from the 
back of the midrib of the older leaf. By explaining therefore 
the formation of a single leaf, we shall learn that of the 
whole frond. If we take a full grown leaf for the purpose 
of examination we can learn but little from it, the processes 
of metamorphose having been completed, and we shall be 
liable to fall into erroneous conjectures on the subject. But 
by taking off a young leaf which is not yet unrolled from its 
circinate vernation, and is still but an eighth of an inch in 
length, the manner of growth in this remarkable plant may 
be very clearly seen. At this age the future leaf is found to 
consist of a lanceolate lamina, furnished with a strong midrib, 
acute, and resembling the leaf of Delesseria hypoglossum in 
form, rolled inwards at the apex, in a circinate manner; its 
midrib producing at right angles with the lamina, and on the 
surface towards which the apex rolls, a series of processes OF 
leaflets (the nervures of the future leaf) of similar form and 
structure to the leaf from whose midrib they spring, set at 
equal distances to each other, and continuing from a short 
way above the base of the leaf to its apex. As these leaflets 
increase in size, the lowest in the series emits from its midrib 
along the upper face, a similar series of processes, which, 
springing from it upwards and lengthening, meet with the 
back of the leaflet placed next in order above, and paral 
with ‘it, and become united to it, forming a series of bars; 
and this process goes on until all the leaflets are linked toge- 
ther. Finally a similar connection by processes occurs among 
the bars, and the net work of the leaf is then ready to unroll 
and expand. In the leaflet which I examined, and which I 
explain as above, the processes or leaflets near the apex. 9" 
fora long way below it, were perfectly distinct from ea“ 
other, merely being subulate teeth pectinately inserted, gr^ — 
dually increasing in length, and becoming of a lanceo* 
form as they were farther from the apex; those next them 
