THE 



Journal of Indian Botanp* 



Vol. I. OCTOBER, 1919. No. 2. 



THE PHYSIOLOGICAL ANATOMY OF THE 



PLANTS OF TliE INDIAN DESERT 



- 



BY 



T. A. Sabnis, B.A., B.Sc. 

 St, Xavier's College, Bombay. 



PREFACE. 



I had the opportunity of visiting a portion of the great Indian 

 Desert, in the company of Fr. Blatter and Prof. Hallberg, in the 

 months of October and November 1917. The year was remarkable 

 for its abnormal rainfall of over 40 inches as against the average of 

 10 — 13 inches ; and the herbaceous flora had survived till the time of 

 our visit. On seeing the plants from the different habitats of the 

 Desert identified by Fr. Blatter and Prof. Hallberg, it occurred to 

 me that a treatise on the physiological anatomy of the Indian Desert 

 plants would not be out of place. For while much has been written 

 on other desert floras, nothing has been done in that line of any 

 Indian desert flora. 



I set to work, with the view to carrying out my idea and the 

 following treatise, in which I have confined myself to that portion of 

 the Indian Desert which is marked in the map, is the result of my 

 investigations. 



I have taken considerable care to provide accurate sketches of 

 the transverse sections of the leaves and the axes, as it is generally 

 found that accurate figures give a clearer idea than long explanatory 

 notes. The drawings have been made with the aid of Abbe's Camera 

 Lucida ; and the different powers of the oculars and objectives have 

 been noted. I have used a Zeiss's microscope and generally Zeiss's 

 apochromatic objectives and compensating oculars. 



I hope the essay will prove an addition to our knowledge of the 

 Desert Flora in particular and of the comparative anatomy and 

 physiology of plants in general. 



I must use this opportunity to thank Mr. M. V. Unakar, 

 Acting Director of the Bombay and Alibag Observatories for the 

 meteorological data of the Indian Desert. 



