376 Transactions. — Botany. 



Descrij)tion of Seedling. 



Eoot fibrous, branching very much from base, spreadmg. 



Hypocotyle usually upright, sometimes slightly bent, 

 succulent, pilose, especially towards axil of cotyledons, 9 mm. 

 long. 



Cotyledons broadly rotund-ovate, rarely oval, glabrous or 

 with a few short hairs, obtuse or very rarely emarginate ; 

 petioles connate at base and thickened, forming a purple ring 

 round the stem, subterete, slightly channelled above. 



1st pair of leaves ovate to broadly ovate. Lamina 5-5 mm. 

 X 4 mm., green on upper reddish-brown to green on under 

 surface, flat, hairy ; margin ciliated, with hooked hairs point- 

 ing to apex of leaf ; petiole half length of lamina, sub-terete, 

 channelled above, connate at base, forming raised ring round 

 stem, as in cotyledons. 



2nd pair of leaves similar to 1st pair, sometimes with 

 longer petioles. 



3rd and ith pairs from ovate to ovate-oblong, entire or 

 with one or two teeth on each side towards the apex, gradu- 

 ally narrowed on one side at the base into the slightly chan- 

 nelled petiole, which is about two-thirds length of lamina ; 

 pale-green or subglaucous above, often deep-purple beneath, 

 except along margin of leaf, which remains green. Hairs as 

 in 1st leaf. 



15th pair of leaves : x\t about this point the leaves begin 

 to vary considerably from those below, and from similar leaves 

 in other seedlings, in one case being lanceolate, 2-1 cm. x 

 6 mm.; in another obovate, 1-3 cm. x 6 mm.; and in a third 

 case narrow-ovate, 1cm. x 4 mm. ; all almost glabrous, or at 

 any rate much less hairy than the earlier leaves. 



Stem terete, pilose with hairs similar to those on the 

 leaf; internodes (in plant 8cm. high) 4mm. long. 



The seed from which the above-described seedlings were 

 raised was all gathered from one plant. Although, as might 

 be expected, a certain sameness runs through all the seedlings, 

 most marked differences occur among individuals at all stages, 

 in extent of toothing among earliest leaves and in shape 

 among later leaves — in other words, the individual does not 

 nearly produce itself true from seed. But, regarding the 

 species, I have examined seedlings raised from three other 

 individuals which v/ere distinct from No. 388 and from one 

 another. In each of these a certain type may be seen occur- 

 ring most frequently, and giving a character to each pot of 

 seedlings ; but here also there are many individual differences, 

 and it may be expected that when the adult form is reached 

 there will be several plants so distinct as to look like different 

 species. Among a number of wild seedlings that I possess 



