298 DR. P. GROOM ON THE LONGITUDINAL 
The following are the measurements made along the branches :— 
I VUE 5 | | i | 
Branch I....| 186 | 45 | 805 | 55 | 66 29°5 | Last measurement was to the topmost leaf, above 
| | | which was the terminal inflorescence. 
"e 
Dd 
d 
| | | 
c PEERS | | 38 | 89 5. | 776 | Above the last measurement the axis was broken 
| | | | off. 
| | 
oc es eee | 37°5 | 97 T | ~ .. | Above the last measurement was the terminal 
| | | | inflorescence. 
(The measurements of this specimen are not accurate to half a millimetre, as the stems 
were so thick and their forms were such that it was difficult to determine the exact — 
corresponding points of insertion of the different leaves.) 
PHYTOLACCA POLYANDRA. (Curve 24.) 
A seedling plant was uprooted in September, and showed at the base of its stem two 
opposite large buds, both flanked on each side by a smaller bud. Higher up and decus- 
sate with these large buds were two that were obviously in the axils of fallen leaves, 
which, however, were not inserted at the same level. The succeeding two pairs of leaves 
showed the decussate design, and the next pair tended towards it, though the angles 
separating the two leaves were clearly not 180°. In fact the phyllotaxis at the base of 
this seedling much resembled that of Phytolacca esculenta. The following were the 
measurements made, commencing at the lowest two opposite buds :— 
0, 3, 3 (circa), 13°5, 8'5, 26, 20:5, 14:5, 91, 23, 25, 24:5, 31, 32-5, 32, 37, 27, 32, 25, 19, 
28:5, 17-5, 186, 14, 19, 14°5, 8:5, 9:5, 6:5, 7:5, 7°5, 5:5. 
The last measurement was to the topmost leaf, above which was the young terminal 
inflorescence. A number of the upper internodes were obviously immature. 
The zigzag internode-curve is clearly capable of analysis into two consistent and 
fairly regular subcurves. 
