146 Professor Alexander Dickson on the 



my remarks ; but a comparisou with the abstract will show 

 that the essence of the communication has been adhered to. 



Since bringing the subject before the Society, I have had 

 my attention drawn to the fact that Foliage-leaves similar 

 to those I have described in Rascus androgynus had 

 been observed by Askenasy in B. racemosus ; and, further- 

 more, I have had opportunity of examining, in our Botanic 

 Garden, the germination oi Ruscus androgynus, B. racemosus, 

 B. aculeatus, Myrsiphyllum asimragoides, Asparagus davu- 

 ricus, and A. capsicus* 



1. As to Foliage-leaves in Buscus racemosus, Askenasy, 

 in 1872, recorded his observation of " a remarkable anomaly " 

 sometimes occurring in this plant, viz, the development 

 from the aerial stem, after the rather large sheathing leaves 

 with green tips which are found at its lower part, " of a few 

 leaves with long petiole and ovate green blade, somewhat 

 resembling the leaves of Convallaria ".f It will be noted 

 that these must almost exactly resemble the Foliage-leaves 

 in B. androgynus ; and this is tbe more interesting, when 

 we recall how remarkably the cladodes of the two species 

 in some respects resemble each other, — in having no 

 midrib, in having the stomata developed on the morpho- 

 logical upper surface, and in being twisted a half-turn upon 

 themselves. 



2. As to the germination of the plants I liave named. 

 To this I shall only briefly refer. The plants are still 

 under observation, and I hope to give a more detailed 

 account of them at a future period. 



As to Buscus androgynus, my anticipation of the occur- 

 rence of Foliage-leaves in the seedling has been fully 

 justified. These make their appearance after the produc- 

 tion of some half-dozen scale-leaves immediately succeeding 

 the hypogeal cotyledon. In the specimens I have at 

 present under observation, from 1 to 3 Foliage-leaves have 

 already appeared, besides leaf- forms intermediate between 

 these and the scale- leaves. It is a very remarkable cir- 



* Our Botanic Garden is indebted for the seeds of Ruscus androgynus to 

 Mrs A. Kingsmill, Easteott, Pinner, who kindly obtained them for me from 

 a correspondent in Madeira ; for those of B. actdeatiis to G. E. Frere, Esq., 

 F.R.S., of Roydon Hall, Norfolk ; and for those of the two species of 

 Aspa7-agus to Professor Todaro, Director of the Botanic Garden, Palermo. 



+ Askenasy, Botanisch-morjyhologische Studien, Beitrdge zur KenTvtniss dcr 

 jlachen Stamvie, p. 22, Frankfurt a. M., 1872. For reference to this paper, 

 I am indebted to my friend J^Ir F. Bower. 



