126 PLANT HABITS AND HABITATS IN THE 



The leaves are small, linear, or linearcuneate. They are well coated 

 with some substance, probably resinous, which causes them to glisten 

 in the light. This is to be found on both sides of the leaves. An ex- 

 amination of the leaf-structure shows that the two sides of the leaves 

 are nearly alike, if not wholly so. The chlorenchyma consists of 

 palisade tissue which is similar on the two sides. Stomata occur on both 

 dorsal and ventral surfaces as well as on the leaf edges. They are 

 somewhat elevated above the general level of the leaf, especially in 

 the young leaves, in which the leaf-margin, in cross-section, is some- 

 what crenulated. Squat, shield-shaped trichomes occur on both leaf- 

 surfaces. These are multicellular and probably glandular, although 

 they were so few in the material examined that it is difficult to think 

 that the resinous covering of the epidermis was wholly derived from 

 them, especially in view of the fact that the secretion is very equally 

 distributed over the leaf-surface and is no heavier near the hairs than 

 at some distance from them. No sclerenchyma was found in the 

 leaves of this species. 



SOME MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF THE GENUS 



EREMOPHILA. 



The species of Eremophila must be considered among the most 

 interesting and in certain particulars among the most remarkable of 

 the xerophytic perennials of South Australia. They occur in the 

 drier portions of the state, to which for the most part they are con- 

 fined. The species are shrubs or small trees and nearly all of those 

 seen bore a relatively large leaf-surface. To the last statement, 

 however, there are striking exceptions, among which should be in- 

 cluded Pholidia (formerly Eremophila) scoparia, not to mention others. 

 Certain of the species, notably E. neglecta, appear to be confined to 

 the desert, although others, as E. brownii, occur in the arid and semi- 

 arid regions as well. There are apparently no special water-storage 

 organs, and so far as known the root-system does not present special 

 characters. In several of the species, however, as will appear below, 

 there are various morphological features which look to the conserva- 

 tion of water, once it is taken into the plants. When in bloom many of 

 the species are of striking beauty. 



According to Solereder (1899:706), who summarizes the earlier 

 work on the Myoporinese, there are structural features of interest 

 in species of Eremophila. Thus, the leaves and the stems have "Sekre- 

 tenliicken," internal glands, which I am calling glandular pockets, as 

 well as glandular hairs in several species. Indeed, such are wanting 

 in E. longifolia only. Glandular hairs appear generally to be present 

 and to vary somewhat in form, size, and structure. The other type 

 of trichome, a "covering" hair, according to Solereder, is even more 

 variable. It may consist of a single row of cells which may be branched 



