14 



terested in r.rvoph}lliim, and mentions it repeatedly in liis writ- 

 ings. 



Another curious fact concerning' the leaves of r»ryo])hylluni is 

 that they "are sour in the niorninq', tasteless at noon, and some- 

 what hitter towards evening'. This change has heen attributed 

 to the absorption of oxygen at night and its disengagement in 

 daylight." — W. ]\Iiller. In India the leaves are used by the na- 

 tives for various medicinal purposes. They are slightly toasted 

 and applied to wounds, bruises, boils, and the bites of venomous 

 insects. They are also applied as a poultice to contused wounds, 

 this treatment preventing the swelling and discoloration, and 

 aiding the cut parts to unite rapidly. 



The air-plant is a tall erect herb. The stem often branches 

 at the base and is more or less shrubby (Fig. 1). It is reddish 

 in color, with raised, oblong, wdiitish spots. Although soft and 

 herbaceous in texture, the air-plant is perennial, its life extend- 

 ing throughout an indefinite number of seasons. 



One of the striking characteristics of the air-plant is the suc- 

 culency of its tissues. Certain plants store up in their tissues 

 large quantities of woody matter, and these woody plants are 

 termed trees or shrubs. The great majority of plants do not 

 develop woody tissue in appreciable quantities. This type com« 

 prises all of the ordinary herbaceous vegetation. A third type 

 of plant body is the succulent type, characterized by fleshy tis- 

 sues and large amounts of stored water. These plants are usually 

 adapted for existence in dry or arid regions, indeed, this enor- 

 mous water-storage power is one of their adaptations to resist 

 drought. To this class belong such plants as the air-plant, sisal, 

 and the various forms of cactus. 



Another drought-resistant adaptation of these jilants is the 

 nature of their skin, or epidermis. It is easy to understand that 

 either a woolly or hairy covering, (the denser the better), or a 

 layer of wax would be efficacious in preventing the undue evapo- 

 ration of water from the plant's tissues. Such plants as the air- 

 plant, sisal, and cactus have remarkablv smooth waxv skins. 

 (Fig. 4.) 



The BryophylhuTi flowers are in large, spreading clusters, the 

 liranches of the cluster being arranged o]')positely, in jiairs. The 

 flowering steni is erect, and cylindrical in cross-section, (the 

 leafy stems are frequently angidar), and is spotted with dark 

 ])urple. 



The flowers themselves are \yj-2 inches long. I'hcy are 

 pendulous or inverted in position, and sway gently in the breeze 

 like fairy bells. The outer layer or calyx is greenish in color, 

 stri])ed with purple at the base. In shaj^c the calyx i> like an 

 inflated cylindric bag. 1-1 3^ inches long, and divided at the open 

 end into four lobes (I^g. 5). Projecting beyond the calyx lobes 

 of a niaturc flower arc the bright reddish-purple lobes of the 

 corolla, which form a cylindric bag within the calyx. The 



