107 
ON THE ANATOMY OF THE LEAFSTALK IN 
THALIA DEALBATA. 
Some years since I drew attention to the curious appearance presented 
by the leafstalk of this plant, and intended to pursue the subject further, 
an intention only partially fulfilled. Possibly the following note may 
prove of service to some observer with greater opportunities of tracing 
the development and anatomy of the plant than myself. The leafstalk 
is made up of a number of long air-canals, regularly arranged some- 
what in the form of a semicircle, one of their number being usually larger 
than the rest. Crossing these air-canals are a number of septa, made 
up of very beautiful star-shaped cells. Passing through the interspaces 
between these cells, with which they are sometimes in contact, but 
quite detached from the sides of the air-canals, are numerous isolated 
woody bundles, which, to the naked eye, resemble fine threads, so that 
the longitudinal section of the stem has no slight resemblance to a 
piece of fine canvas. 
On microscopic examination the longitudinal fibres are seen to consist 
of wood cells, with small apparent tubercles adherent to or projecting 
from them ; these apparent tubercles being merely small cellular masses, 
either irregularly developed, or, as suggested by Mr. Tuffen West, to 
whom I transmitted specimens, being the result of proportionately more 
rapid growth in the woody tissue than in the cellular, the former re- 
taining, adherent to it, portions of the latter torn off during growth. 
This very plausible explanation needs the confirmation which would 
be afforded by a study of the anatomy and development of the plant 
from its earliest stages. I have only to add that neither in Canna, 
Maranta, Hedychium, nor Strelitzia, and other allied genera, is there 
anything like the peculiar structure now described. 
M. T. MASTERS. 
AUGUSTIN-PYRAMUS DE CANDOLLE. 
Bx Asa GRAY, 
Professor of Botany at Cambridge, Massachusetts. 
De Candolle was born at Geneva on the 4th day of February, 1778 ; 
he commenced his distinguished career as a botanist in Paris in the 
