332 Prof. G. Gulliver on Raphides and other Cr7jstals in Plants. 



These plants, like their congeners of the same order, abound in 

 sphseraphides, but are destitute of raphides. Nothing of the 

 kind can be more beautiful than the sphseraphid tissue ('Annals,' 

 Sept. 1863), extending beneath the cuticle of the whole leaf and 

 in the bark, of A. spinosa. These sphseraphides are about 

 iT^T^th of an inch in diameter; they are somewhat larger in the 

 bark, and larger still in the pith. 



" If," says Prof. Lindley, " the Vine is compared with Aralia 

 racemosa, the relationship of Vitacese to it will be too obvious 

 to be mistaken. Suppose that Aralia racemosa had an adherent 

 calyx, erect ovules, with stamens opposite the petals, and it 

 would be a Vitis." But now, while recognizing the similarity 

 or identity of the sphseraphides of Araliacese and Vitacese, we 

 perceive that Aralia would require also the raphidian character 

 to be a Vitis. This difference is so remarkable that it may be 

 very easily and quickly seen by a comparison of the cells in the 

 leaves and other parts of the species before named of Vitis and 

 Aralia. Indeed the contrast in this respect between these plants 

 forms a very pretty microscopic object, and for this purpose the 

 leaves of Vitis apiifolia and Aralia spinosa answer admirably. 



Callece, Orontiea, and Acorea. — We have already seen, under 

 the head of the raphidian order Aracese (' Annals/ May 1865, 

 p. 381) how raphides could not be found in Acorus calamus. 

 In a fragment of a dried leaf of Gymnostachys anceps I found a 

 few raphides or raphis-like objects ; but this scarcely affects the 

 fact of the deficiency of raphides in Acorese, and their profusion 

 in the members of the two other tribes of Orontiacese — a re- 

 markable difference, which may be well seen by a comparison of 

 Calla, Monstera, Pothos, and Orontium with Acorus and Gym- 

 nostachys. 



Hamodorea, ConostylecB, and Velloziea. — Besides the species 

 formerly mentioned as affording numerous raphidian cells, my 

 dissections of Hcemodorum planifolium, Anigosanthus rufus, and 

 A. humilis show a more or less abundance of raphides in all 

 these plants. But Vellozia is probably devoid of raphides ; for 

 I could not detect them either in the withered leaves or bark of 

 an old dead trunk of this plant. Hence a comparative examina- 

 tion of the cellular structure of the Conostyles of New Holland and 

 the Vellozias, as well as of all the other species now placed by 

 botanists under Hsemodoracese, appears to be very needful and 

 likely to increase our knowledge of the natural affinities of this 

 curious order. After describing some analogy between the 

 stems of Pandanus and Vellozia, Prof. Lindley judiciously says, 

 " Don proposed to make an order of the Vellozias ; but, till their 

 structure and that of the Bloodroots shall have been thoroughly 

 investigated, this step would be premature." 



