366 ON SEEDLINGS 



elevated midrib, pubescent, winged upward by the decurrent lamina 

 of the leaf. 



No. 1. Cuneate, trifid or tripartite, with obtuse segments. 



Nos. 2 and 3. Similar, but larger terminal lobe largest, cuneate, 

 and generally again more or less trifid. 



No. 4. Ehomboid, obtuse, cuneate or decurrent at the base on 

 the petiole, with two to three coarse obtuse teeth on each side. 



Nos. 5-7. Ehomboid or elliptic or oblong, variable, obtuse, 

 obtusely toothed or shallowly sinuate or entire, tapering into the 

 petiole at the base, forming a wing to the latter. 



Melianthus major, L. 



Primary root a vertical, succulent, colourless tap-root ; stout, 

 colourless adventitious roots spring from the thickened base of the 

 hypocotyl. 



Hypocotyl about 2 cm. long, 1'5-2'S mm. thick, terete, glabrous, 

 brownish above ground, colourless below. 



Cotyledons subsessile, nearly equal, about 2-5 cm. long and 

 l - 75 cm. broad, obovate, cuneate at the base, emarginate with a 

 short blunt mucro, with very distinct whitish incurved nerves on 

 each side of the midrib, quite glabrous, thin, rather firm, bright 

 green above, paler and shining beneath. 



Stem erect, terete, glabrous, succulent, stout, pale green ; 1st 

 internode 1*2 cm. long, 3 mm. thick ; 2nd internode 6 mm. long, 

 2 mm. thick. 



Leaves cauline, compound, pinnate, alternate, stipulate, glabrous, 

 petiolate. 



No. 1. Lamina digitately trifoliolate ; lateral leaflets sessile, ob- 

 long, acute, serrate, unequal on the posterior basal side, penninerved, 

 bright green above, paler or subglaucous beneath with prominent 

 nerves ; nerves alternate or opposite ; serratures acute, tipped with 

 a yellow mucro ; terminal leaflet obovate-elliptic, acutely serrate, 

 narrowed to the base, penninerved with opposite or alternate nerves ; 

 free part of petiole terete, pale green ; stipules large, foliaceous, and 

 amplexicaul at the base, adnate to the petiole for more than half 

 their length, then connate by their edges, leaving only their two 

 acute tips free. 



No. 2. Exactly similar; petiole similar; stipules forming a 

 sheath to the next younger leaf and bud. In some plants the 

 petiole of the first and second leaf has a foliaceous, decurrent 

 wing, somewhat toothed or distantly serrate, and its uppermost 

 part produced into a semi-triangular acuminate lobe. 



No. 3. Five-foliolate ; basal leaflets oblong, incise and irregularly 



