PLANTS OP THE INDIAN DESEET. 9 



The lateral walls are thin and undulated. The inner walls are thin 

 in all members except in G. varians, where they are a little thickened. 



The stomata are placed in depressions produced by the thickened 

 outer epidermal walls in L. spartium. In G. varians, C procera on the 

 lower surface and P. cynanchoides the guard-cells are elevated and 

 the front cavity is situated on a level with the surface. The stomata 

 % on the upper side in C. procera are placed in chimney-like depressions 

 and the guard-cells are situated quite below the plane of the epidermal 

 cells (fig. 197). Guard-cells are accompanied by subsidiary cells in all 

 the members. The elevated position of the guard-cells is due to the 

 fleshy character of the leaves. The depressed position of stomata in L. 

 spartium and of those on the upper side in G. procera may be due to 

 the poorly developed ventilating system and to the occurrence of 

 compact palisade tissue on the upper side respectively. 



The mesophyll is isobilateral in L. spartium, while in P. cynan- 

 choides it consists wholly of arm-palisade tissue. It is composed of 

 palisada tissue on the upper side and of arm-palisade tissue on the 

 lower in G. varians and G. procera. In fleshy leaves the arm-palisade 

 tissue is richly provided with a system of intercellular spaces. Chloro- 

 phyll grains are spherical and fairly large and are found along the 

 walls of assimilatory cells. 



Internal secretory organs are represented by secretory cells with 

 tanniniferous contents near the veins in P. cynanchoides. The veins 

 are few, embedded and are not provided with bundle-sheaths. 



The plants are entirely or almost leafless, or have fleshy leaves. 

 This makes the development of a hairy covering quite unnecessary, 

 except on young leaves and axes. Clothing hairs, present on young 

 leaves and axes, may disappear, when they are fully developed. Short 

 uniseriate trichomes, with verrucose walls and with a large terminal 

 cell, occur though not in great number on both the surfaces of leaves 

 of G. varians and L. spartium. C. procera has short, uniseriate, de- 

 pressed trichomes which are more numerous on the lower surface 

 (fig. 198). 



Structure of the Axis. — The epidermis consists of small polygonal 

 cells with outer walls thickened and convexiy arched outwards. It 

 is two-layered in P. cynanchoides and is three-layered in L. spartium 

 (fig. 200). The epidermal cells in S. brevistigma are longer than 

 broad, thus making the epidermis quite compact and rigid. The 

 stomata are situated in depressions produced by thickened outer 

 epidermal walls. The guard-cells are in the plane of the surrounding 

 cells in all members except S. brevistigma where they occur quite 

 below the plane of surrounding cells, this producing a chimney-like 

 pit above. The depressed position of guard-cells is necessary in the 



640—2 



