206 



and the scales surround a bud. According to VELENOWSKY 

 (1907 p. 501) this has the following significance: 



Nitraria has a pinnate leaf (or bipinnate) the petioles of 

 which are reduced so that the leaflets are placed beside each 

 other, and the scales between them are then partly stipular 

 scales partly rudiments of leaflets. The bud between 

 these leaflets is thus in reality the axillary bud of the leaf. 

 This may during the same year give rise to a short-shoot 

 which forms several of these whorls of leaflets one above 

 another so that a leaf-rosette is developed this is thick 

 at the base and may have as many as 20 leaves (leaflets). 

 Besides these year -shoot branches, shorter thorn -branches 

 may occur. The year-shoot itself terminates in a branched 

 inflorescence which of course dies after the fruit is ripe, or 

 it ends as a thorn. 



Normal buds which have not formed a rosette during 

 the first year, seem next year only to be able to form either 

 rosettes or vegetative long-shoots, whereas the rosettes devel- 

 oped during the first year may give rise to both vegetative 

 and floral long-shoots. 



The plant flowers in May or June. The fruit is a black 

 berry which is eaten by the natives. 



The anatomy of the leaf has been described by B. JONS- 

 SON (p. 26, tab. Ill), whose observations are confirmed by 

 my own. The leaf is isolateral with sunk stomata on both 

 sides, and 2 3 layers of palisade cells the inner ones being 

 larger and less green. Amongst the palisade are large mucilage- 

 cells. Like JONSSON I have found no tannic acid. Compare 

 also VOLKENS (table XI) illustrations of the structure of Nitraria 

 retusa. 



JONSSON also describes the anatomy of the stem and the 

 bark, the latter with mucilaginous cork. 



Reaumuria oxiana (Ldb.) Bois. 



A much - branched dwarf shrub about 30 centimetres 

 high, which prefers a firm soil, clay or stone. The stem is 

 crooked and bent. The non-branching year-shoots may attain 

 a length of about 15 centimetres, but only a portion of this 





