246 THE JOURNAL OF INDIAN BOTANY. 



The pericycle forms a more or less composite ring of stone-cells. 

 Small groups of stone-cells occur in the soft bast. The wood is compo- 

 site. Vessels are large and are arranged in incomplete rows. Inter- 

 fascicular wood prosenchyma is extensive and is composed of small 

 thick-walled cells with small lumina. The medullary rays are unis- 

 eriate. Wood parenchyma is little developed. 



Pith is composed of small cells with thickened and lignified 

 walls. 



ROSACEAE 



Neurada procumbens L . — Figs. 122, 123, 124.— Epidermal 

 cells tabular with outer and inner walls thickened and convexly 

 arched outwards and inwards respectively. Stomata found on both 

 the surfaces and accompanied by ordinary epidermal cells. Hairs 

 uncellular and wooly. External glands absent. Mesophyll composed 

 wholly of short palisade cells. Internal secretory cells with mucila- 

 ginous membrances on all sides and occurring near the veins in the 

 leaf, and in collenchyma, cortical parenchyma, medullary rays and 

 pith of the axis. Epidermal cells with tanniniferous contents. Leaves 

 many ribbed. Smaller veins embedded. Larger veins vertically trans- 

 current by collenchyma. Epidermal cells of the axis with outer- 

 walls papillose. Medullary rays broad. Interfascicular wood prosen- 

 chyma absent. Pith composed of thin-walled cells. Pith cells with 

 mucilaginous walls towards the periphery. 



Structure of the Leaf: — The epidermis consists of tabular cells 

 with outer and inner walls convexly arched outwards and inwards 

 respectively. Lateral walls are thin and straight. Epidermal cells 

 hold tanniniferous contents. The stomata are more numerous on the 

 lower surface and are surrounded by ordinary epidermal cells. The 

 guard-cells are situated in the plane of surrounding cells and the 

 front cavity is placed in a depression formed by the outer thickened 

 epidermal walls fig. 123. The stomata on the axis are similar to 

 those on the leaf. 



The mesophyll is wholly composed of short palisade cells fig. 122. 

 Internal secretory organs are represented by cells with mucilaginous 

 membranes on all sides and by epidermal cells of the leaf with 

 tanniniferous contents. Cells with mucilaginous membranes occur 

 near the veins, at the inner margin of cortex, in the medullary rays 

 and in the pith tissue towards the periphery. Tanniniferous contents 

 in the epidermal cells of the leaf give an acrid taste to foliage leaves 

 and prevent them from being easily devoured by animals. 



Oxalate of lime is found in the form of numerous small clustered 

 crystals near the veins of the leaf and in collenchyma and soft bast of 

 the axis. The leaves are many ribbed, the ribs being prominent 



