213 Prof. G. Gulliver on Raphides. 



Monocotyledones — for example, in Buffainvillaa, Quillaja, and 

 Guaiacunij and in certain Amaryllidacese, Bromeliaceae, Ponte- 

 deriacese, &c., but, so far as my observations have yet gone, 

 are more generally found in the leaves and different parts of 

 Iridacese than in any other order. 



These prisms differ also, in their greater length and size, from 

 other smaller prisms, such as those of which the ends project in 

 the form of short points on the surface of many sphseraphides, 

 as may be seen in various Cactacese and other Dicotyledones. 

 The prisms of Iridacese, &c., are likewise larger than the small 

 prisms which occur separately in the bulb-scales of certain 

 Onions (^Annals,' Api'il 1864, p. 293). In Allium these short 

 prisms appear to be composed of oxalate of lime and magnesia^ 

 and the larger prisms in Iridacese of oxalate of lime, as more 

 particularly noticed in the ^ Annals ' for June last. 



Distribution of Raphides in Liliacea. — How far the raphidian 

 character may assist in perfecting a natural definition of this 

 order and its subsections can only be determined after much 

 more extensive observations than I have been able to make. 

 But the present limited ones show Tulipese and the Onions 

 regularly devoid of raphides, while Hemerocallidese, Asparagese, 

 and the Squills as constantly abound in raphides. Considering 

 only our indigenous plants, specifying the tribes as they stand 

 in Prof. Babington^s ' Manual of British Botany,"* the results, 

 so far as they at present appear, are as follows : — I. Tulipese : 

 all regularly destitute of raphides. II. Asphodelese ; Gagea and 

 Allium without raphides, while Ornithogalum and Scilla abound 

 in raphides. III. Anthericese : no raphides found in a dry bit 

 of Simethis, TV, Hemerocallidese : both plants abounding in 

 raphides — which also occur plentifully in every plant (except 

 Ruscus, in which they are scanty) of the order Asparagacese, 

 standing apart, in Prof. Babington's book, from Liliacese. 



As an example of the value of the raphidian character, so far 

 as regards our native Liliacese, I have always found it easy to 

 distinguish by it, in minute fragments of the leaves alone, a 

 plant of Hemerocallidese from one of Tulipese. 



Juncacece. — A few small raphides occur in the leaf of Narthe- 

 cium ossifragum ; but I have in vain searched for them in the 

 indigenous species of Juncus and Luzula, 



Edenbridge, Feb. 15, 1865. 



[To be continued.] 



