274 Transactions. — Botany. 



plant are in part from the above-mentioned parent tree and 

 in part from a young tree about eight years of age growing in 

 my garden. 



Description of Seedling. 



Root appears to be of medium length and of rapid growth, 

 but in all plants examined was broken. 



Hypocotyl 30mm. long — probably owing to being "drawn 

 up," for the seedlings were crowded amongst grass, &c. — 

 terete, white, hairy above. 



Cotyledons more or less rotund ; upper part of margin 

 deeply crenate or lobed, ciliated; lamina 8mm. x 7mm.; 

 petiole semierect, hairy, 3 mm. long. 



Early leaves (figs. 12, 14) somewhat variable in size, but 

 all of one type ; ovate, often more or less truncate at base, or 

 sometimes subcordate ; lamina + 19 mm. x + 16 mm., lobed 

 or bicrenate, bright yellowish-green on upper paler on under 

 surface, palmately 5-nerved, with ultimate veins much reticu- 

 lating, ciliated on margin, and with a few stellate hairs on 

 veins, especially on those of under-surface ; margin of crena- 

 tions often stained with purple ; petiole almost half as long 

 again as lamina, slender, channelled above, but not deeply. 



Stipules at first quite enclosing young bud, finally de- 

 ciduous ; linear, 3 mm. x 1 mm., inserted on stem at upper 

 side of base of petiole. 



Stem erect, with erect branches, and exhibiting no sign of 

 a second shrubby stage, even in seedlings 12 cm, tall ; terete, 

 brown, hoary in places, with numerous stellate hairs ; inter- 

 nodes + 10 mm. long. 



Further development : After remaining in the erect form 

 for a certain time, and reaching a certain height (but of 

 this I can as yet give no definite information), the plant 

 assumes a semi-shrubby habit. The branches which are now 

 developed are long, twiggy, and flexuous, hanging downwards 

 and interlacing one with the other, their apices at the same 

 time often bending upwards. The leaves produced on these 

 branches are very much reduced in size, and in many cases 

 occur in fascicles on very short reduced branches. In shape 

 they present all kinds of gradations, from very small rounded 

 often cuneate leaves, toothed or lobed (figs. 13, 15), to forms 

 approaching the ovate or ovate-lanceolate acuminate adult 

 type of leaf.* Finally, after several years usually, the plant 

 undergoes a third change, when it assumes a true arboreal 

 habit, its branches no longer interlacing and weeping, but 

 growing upright, at first in a rather fastigiate manner, and 

 in this final stage resembling, so far as erect habit is con- 

 cerned and type of leaf, the first stage of development. 



* See also Kirk, I.e., p. 207, and plate 103. 



