400 a[;MMAEY of curkent keseauches relating to 



2. The stele of the tuber often shows a corresponding gap. ?>. The 

 tuber bears leaves, some of which are considerably reduced. As to 

 sterile plants, they generally consist of a simple axis, the apex of which 

 has formed a storage tuber. It is possible that, in the larger specimens, 

 branching occurs as in fertile plants, but the arm, which in the latter 

 produces a cone, is in sterile plants arrested early in development. No 

 longer can the tuber of Phylloglossum be compared with the protocorm 

 of Lycopodium cernnum, but the two genera are brought nearer together, 

 since Phylloglossum has proved to be not characteristically an unbranched 

 form. 



Trichomanes Asnykii.* — A. Wodziczko has made a study of the 

 morphology and anatomy of Trichomanes Asnykii Raciborski. He 

 finds that the number of tracheids in the leaf-bundle increases greatly 

 (up to more than ten) before the opening into the base of the indusium. 

 The number of the bast-fibres is not increased, and since it is situated 

 on one side (the lower side of the leaf) the bundle becomes collateral. 

 Thus the tracheid lumen attains a considerable size. Besides the usual 

 scalariform tracheids, there are also present reticulate tracheids. A 

 little higher the vascular bundle divides into three equally stout portions, 

 of which the middle one penetrates the receptacle, and the two lateral 

 bundles pass into the indusium-wall. Each of the latter consists of 

 three to five very small tracheids and two to three bast-fibres, collaterally 

 distributed ; they possess no cambiform elements inside the endodermis. 

 The inside of the receptacle is traversed by a strongly developed bundle, 

 consisting of five to six scalariform and reticulate tracheids. Xo other 

 elements are present. In consequence of the stout formation of the 

 vascular system, the receptacle constitutes a highly developed organ, 

 concerning the function of which one can at present say nothing. Xo 

 stomata or hydatodes were observed on the receptacle. The nearest 

 allies of T. Asnykii are found in the sub-genus Microtrichomanes of 

 Mettenius, in which the branching of the frond varies between dicho- 

 tomous and pinnate. The species T. diyitatum, T. dichotomum, T. niti- 

 dulum, etc.) were placed by Prantl in the genus Gonocormus. Among 

 them are species in which pseudonerves are wanting, but which have 

 dichotomous or pinnate branching of the frond. T. Asnykii is the 

 most reduced type of Gonocormus (according to Prantl the most 

 simple). 



Anatomy of Nephrolepis Tubers.f — B. Sahni describes the vascular 

 anatomy of the tubers of Kephrolepis. The strand of the branch-stolon 

 penetrates the base of the tuber as a solid protostele and at once 

 expands like a funnel, acquiring successively internal phloem, pericycle, 

 endodermis and ground-tissue. Then the funnel-like stele breaks up 

 and expands into a hollow net-work of tangentially flattened ribbon- 

 like strands (each of concenti'ic structure), enclosing gaps of irregular 

 shape and size. These strands convex again into a single protostelic 



» Bull. Accad. Sci. Cracovie (1915) pp. 202-11 (figs.). See also Bbt. Centralbl., 

 cxxxi. (1916) p. 453. 



t New Phytologist, xv. (1916) pp. 72-80 (3 figs.). 



