arise the slender, apparently adventitious branches which are often met 

 ijxm tin side of the shoots. These slender cylindrical root- 



ranches may be only a few cells in thickness, and are traversed by a 

 conspicuous strand of conducting tissue, which can easily be traced to 

 the base of the shoot, \sh- is abruptly, and does not join the cor- 



responding strand <>f the main axis. The occurrence of ventral branches 

 is confined mainly to the prostrate portion of a shoot, or to the base of the 

 sulk of the frond. They may, however, occasionally arise from the ven- 

 tral i i he expanded portion of a frond, and in the only case 

 observed ( Fig. 2. G the shoot was much broader than those arising from 

 the stalk of the frond or from the prostrate rhizome. The frond from 

 i this shoot arose bore empty anthcridia. 



apical cell of /'. dfdpitns, a species from Ceylon, strongly re- 

 scmblui- /' /<>//iM A vr, in general appearance, has been carefully studied 



A. Vertical wxrtion of the growing point of a frond iiamuit of Ptlltvicmm Zi 



g*ri 

 H. Horizontal section of the same. jr. primary apical 



of the conducting strand from the stalk of the frond of Pd 



D. Some of the con- 



E. Lor 



