172 



Transactions. 



17. Cassinia fulvida. (a ) Habitat. 



Common on active dunes on both ends of New Brighton beach, where 

 it is a characteristic heath plant. 



(6.) Growth- form. 



A heath-like, much-branched shrub, 3-4 ft. high, often straggling, of 

 a characteristic tawny-yellow colour. 



Stems at first sparingly branched, but much branched towards the top. 

 Upper branches flexible, and covered with a golden-yellow tomentum of 

 thickly matted hairs, giving rise at close intervals to shorter tomentose 

 branches 2-3 in. long, almost erect, these branches being thickly clothed 

 with leaves. 



Leaves small, thick, green above, but under-surface covered with 

 tomentum, midrib prominent and yellowish ; small orange close-set petioles, 

 making leaf appear sessile ; ^-J in. long, oblong or linear-obovate, obtuse, 

 alternate, entire. 



Inflorescence : Numerous small white heads arranged in corymbs at 

 the end of leafy branches. The plant often bears whitish leaf-like galls, 

 which appear like inflorescences from a distance. 



(c.) Leaf -anatomy. Fig. 7. 



Epidermis : Upper surface covered with thick yellow waxy covering ; 

 cuticle rather thick, epidermal cells polygonal, with thick walls, a sparse 

 covering of hairs running ^-w/ cut /, 



through the wax ; no sto- 

 mata. Under - surface : sto- 

 mata numerous, prominent 

 arranged in all directions 

 guard - cells with numerous- 

 chloroplasts ; epidermal cells 

 irregular, no cuticle, a dense 

 covering of thickly matted 

 unicellular hairs that seem 

 to exude oily drops. 



Chlorenchyma differenti- »' ijt e< %$*^, 

 ated. About four layers of 

 fairly compact palisade cells 

 on upper side, loose round 

 cells forming a spongy meso- 

 phyll on lower side ; air-spaces 

 above stomata. 



Fibro-vascular bundles : 

 About five seen in transverse 

 section ; each consists of a 

 mass of xylem above an 

 equal mass of phloem, and 

 is surrounded by a paren- 

 chyma sheath. 



(d.) Conclusion. 



Leaf-anatomy reveals strong xerophytic characters — wax covering and 

 cuticle on upper surface, dense hairs on under, thick-walled epidermal cells, 

 stomata only on ventral surface, palisade tissue of several compact layers. 

 The plant is therefore well fitted for its exposed position by the xerophytic 

 character of both habit and structure. 



ep. (upper) 

 pa/. 





Aft lysvl «£•»"• - p*"*- ^ ) 



xy. 

 ^pA. 



Fig. 7. — Cassinia fulvidn : Part of T.S. of leaf. 



