128 



HARDWICKE'S SCIEN CE-GOSSIP. 



[June 1, 1870. 



THE PITCHER OF NEPENTHES. 



T)ROBABLY few objects in our botanical shows 

 -*- are more popular than the Pitcher-plant 

 {Nepenthes distillatcria), and not without reason. 

 The plant, as a whole, will not now occupy our atten- 

 tion, though that it might profitably do ; but wc 



Fig. 126. A pitcher of Nepenthes, sp. 



will confine ourselves to the curious pitcher which, 

 as our readers know, depends from the midrib of a 

 leaf of the plant, and is like what is familiarly 

 known as a " hot-water jug," since it is furnished 

 with a " hinged lid," closed when the pitcher is 

 newly formed, but permanently open after it has 

 attained maturity. We may consider this pitcher 

 (ascidium) a modified prolongation of the midrib of 

 the leaf from which it depends, though some regard 

 it either as a phyllode, or as a " hollowed leaf ; " 

 for the latter it might readily be taken at first sight- 

 The cut (fig. 127) gives a fair representation of a 



Fig. 12". Section of stem of ascidium, Jjth of the circle. 



section "of the stem of the pitcher. It will be 

 observed to differ very materially from the common 

 exogenous stem, and to rnorejclosely resemble in its 

 " confused " vascular system![the endogenous stem. 

 The " vessels " are chiefly^spiral, of the quadruple 

 type, and are generally stained with a deep orange- 

 colour. The spirals— not the vessels by which they 

 are surrounded— are jthus stained, inclining one to 

 the belief that it is they that act as conduits for the 

 orange-coloured fluid which^we shall notice further 

 on, is contained in glands and glandular hairs on 

 and in the pitcher. This]'phenomenon if worked 

 out may perhaps throw, some light upon the his 

 tology of the vascular system of plants generally. 



Just before the stalk joins the pitcher it becomes 

 hollowed out ; in fact, the pitcher really commence 



Fig. 128. Vertical section of ascidium. 



1. Parenchymatous tissue. 2. Vascular bundles. 



3. Glands with protecting hood. 



at this point, and expands suddenly after it has 

 turned the curve. The various vascular vessels are 

 distributed over the pitcher; the circumferential 

 ones, with others which anastomose with them, 

 marking out the external surface of the pitcher into 

 a vast number of irregular four-sided figures. On 

 the exterior of the pitcher are a number of stellate 

 hairs (free from silex, and not good polariscope ob- 

 jects) and glandular hairs ; the latter contain the 

 orange fluid previously spoken of, which, however, 

 on a lengthened exposure to air and light, turns 

 black. We may notice here that the upper edge of 

 the pitcher (or its rim) is most peculiarly con- 

 structed; the vessels run beyond its margin and 



