THE MISTLETOE. 105 



one or of several ovules." In the Appendix to the 

 same work (English Translation, 2nd edition), refer- 

 ence is made to Treub's observations, which have 

 led him to conclude that in Visciim album there 

 is no placenta and no ovule, but that the embryo- 

 sacs are developed in the tissue of the carpels^ 

 This rudimentary development seems to be con- 

 nected with parasitic degradation, as parallel in- 

 stances are found in many plants of a similar 

 nature. 



The woody tissue has also a singular structure. 

 It consists, when young, of eight woody bundles 

 surrounding the pith, and outside these the same 

 number of separate small bundles, constituting the 

 inner layer of the bark. The stem was at one 

 time regarded as articulated — that is, that it had 

 no true woody matter in its nodes, and that the 

 vascular connection of the internodal spaces was 

 thus broken up or only maintained by cellular 

 tissue or pith. The woody portions of the inter- 

 nodal spaces seem, however, to be continuous, and 

 the appearance of articulation to be dependent on 

 the non-continuity of the vessels of the bark. 

 Lindley examined many portions of the plant, both 

 young and old, and concluded that "the true woody 

 and vascular structure of Viscutn is perfectly con- 

 tinuous through the nodes ; that there is no trans- 

 verse and separating layer of cellular tissue or 

 pith in this portion of the plant, but that the 

 connection of the inner layer of the bark is broken 

 up at the nodes." " Viscum album" says Lindley, 

 " has not an articulated stem in the proper 

 sense of the word. The vascular structure of F. 

 album is by no means so entirely composed of 

 those peculiarly marked and rather elongated cells 



as is generally drawn and stated No 



doubt a great portion of the woody matter is com- 

 posed of cells quite different from those met with 

 in the wood of Exogens ; but if the young wood 

 or first-formed bundles be examined, plenty of very 



