21^ VroVQ.QnUixer on Baphides. 



tomy and physiology. After a while, however, it was seen that 

 anatomy would occasionally, as was exemplified in Juncacese and 

 Hymenophyllese (Annals, Aug., Oct., and Dec. 1863), afford good 

 diagnoses even between allied vascular plants ; and the value of 

 such characters in mosses had long been known. It was not before 

 a large accumulation of my notes had been examined that crystals 

 were thought of in this point of view ; for they had not even been 

 particularly looked after, and were merely noted, whenever seen, 

 long before their significance as characters was suspected. But 

 when every one of those notes of raphides had been picked out, it 

 was very unexpectedly discovered that the plants in which they 

 occurred would sometimes come under certain orderly arrange- 

 ments. Thus, not a single species belonging to the orders Ona- 

 gracese and Galiacese was without a note of raphides, while in 

 no single instance were these acicular crystals noted in the 

 next allied orders. And, conversely, a single order (Hydro- 

 charidaceae, for instance) in which raphides were regularly want- 

 ing would be surrounded by orders in which raphides were as 

 constantly abounding. Then repeated experimental trials proved 

 that raphis-bearing is an essential and intrinsic, plain and cha- 

 racteristic phenomenon throughout the life of certain species. 

 Accordingly the conviction arose that such observations, among 

 the infinite details of Nature, might add to our knowledge of the 

 affinities and contrasts of some plants and of their true position 

 in her system. So the inquiry was further pursued, with the 

 results already given in these communications, and to be conti- 

 nued in others awaiting publication. Among the most remark- 

 able of these results is the fact, that whenever raphides afford 

 a diagnostic between two plants, it will be so much more funda- 

 mental and universal than any other single character yet in 

 use, that mere fragments of those plants, at any period of their 

 growth, may be sufficient to show the difference. And in this 

 sense only have these epithets been used by me in relation to 

 this subject. 



Orchidacece. — We have already seen raphides abounding ge- 

 nerally throughout these plants in the only four British species 

 examined. Hence it appeared interesting to extend the inquiry 

 to the exotic species, and especially to the epiphytes of the order ; 

 which I have been enabled to do through the courtesy of Dr. 

 Hooker and Mr. De Carle Sowerby. The following are notes of 

 parts of fresh plants received on January 26 and February 6 : — 

 Isochilus linearis : raphides very scanty in leaves and stem, but 

 very plentiful in bundles in the fleshy root, without starch ; dotted 

 chains of cells in stem. Sobralia macrantha : raphides rather 

 numerous in the stem, leaves, and the parts of fructification. 

 Calanthe vestita : raphides abundant in scape, bracts, petals, and 



