364 MISS HILDA M. CUNNINGTON ON THE 
heptarch. The pericycle consists of one layer of thin-walled cells. Within it 5-7 
large spiral vessels lie on the outside of a solid mass of poorly lignified xylem. The 
large vessels show up after treatment with Eau de Javelle. The phloem, which is hard 
to distinguish, lies in the bays between the primary xylem-groups. 
The young roots arise well out in the cortex of the rhizome, very close to the growing 
point. The endodermis here cannot be traced, but the origin of the root is halfway 
between the outside of the rhizome and the outer ring of vascular bundles round which 
the endodermis lies in the older parts of the stem. Their origin is hence semi- 
endogenous. 
MALE AND FEMALE INFLORESCENCES. 
The whole of the external morphology of the inflorescences has been well described by 
Svedelius, but the anatomy of the peduncles only has been described by him. Soa 
short recapitulation only of the external morphology is necessary before dealing with 
the anatomy. 
Both the male and female inflorescences are borne on peduncles arising in the axils of 
the dorsal leaves of the stem-axis. In each case the inflorescence is enclosed in a 
spathe consisting of two bracts. 
The external characters of these bracts differ in the male and female, but their internal 
structure is very similar. The external structure, with the exception of the arrangement 
of the mucilage-papille, has been described by Svedelius. In the male the bracts are 
“widely ovate-lanceolate and keeled”; their length does not exceed 5 ems. and their 
breadth is 3 ems. or a little more. One overlaps the other at the base with both margins. 
Along the midribs and marginal veins there are long mucilage-producing hairs, those 
down the midrib consisting of four irregular longitudinal rows, while those down the 
marginal veins consist of one row only. The female bracts when fully developed are 
“narrow and oblong” and not greater than 2 em. in breadth. They are “ stiffly keeled” 
and bend back, leaving the female flower exposed. There is a wide band of mucilage- 
producing papillee consisting of four irregular longitudinal rows down the midrib only. 
These papille, present on both the male and female bracts when young, are simple 
and unbranched. When old, and especially in the fruit, they show a branched structure 
with a broad base, in most cases presenting the appearance of a number of the unbranched 
ones fused at the base. The apex is club-shaped when young, but becomes pointed when 
older. In structure they are parenchymatous and multicellular. Towards the apex 
they become narrower and terminate in a single cell (Pl. 36. fig. 16), which is pointed, 
has a thick wall, and contains mucilage which stains with Hanstein’s violet and 
Ruthenium red, but not with Congo red; it is thus pectic in nature. ‘The papille contain 
a few tannin-cells. 
In both the male and female inflorescences there are intravaginal scales, the 
arrangement of which, however, is not clear. 
In the male inflorescence above the point of insertion of the bracts the inflorescence- 
peduncle is prolonged into a tongue-shaped “receptacle” bearing a large number of 
male flowers. These are borne on pedicels six times the length of the flower. The 
