368 MISS HILDA M. CUNNINGTON ON THE 
The young peduncle (text-fig. 9) shows the same general structure as the male, but 
there are certain differences by which a female peduncle is easily recognized. The 
elliptical transverse section is not so elongated and the subepidermal parenchyma (p) is 
6-8 cell-layers thick as compared with 2-8 in the male. The vascular bundles are 
arranged in the same manner, but there are only 16 peripheral bundles (per), which 
are much larger than the corresponding ones in the male. "Though, as a rule, they are 
situated at the ends of the radial trabecule separating adjacent lacune, there are 
exceptions caused by secondary division and separation of cells radially outside the 
bundles forming supernumerary lacunæ there. In the female the bundles at the ends 
of the median axis (N') are larger and nearer the centre than the rest. "Their structure 
is exactly like those of the male. 
Subsequent to fertilization the following changes take place in the peduncle :— 
The outer walls of the epidermal cells become infiltrated with tannin, and tannin 
accumulates in many of the parenchyma-cells just within. The bundles increase in size, 
but this increase does not take place equally in all the bundles. Throughout the 
peduncle the increase in one of the central bundles (o^) is greater than in the other (a); 
the phloem-prosenchyma becomes strikingly thickened, though still consisting of 
cellulose as in the leaf. The are of thickened bast-fibres of the larger bundle (a’) is 
larger than that of the smaller (a), In several cases there were thickened fibres in the 
inner side of the former also, which were most apparent in sections through the spirally 
coiled part of the peduncle. In one case the bast-fibres extended inward, embracing the 
soft phloem on one side, but not on the other. In another the peripheral bundles on 
one side were more thickened than those on the other. 
Svedelius says that the structure is at this stage monosymmetric. 
The Vascular System of the Inflorescence (text-fig. 7).—Just below the inflorescence 
the peduncle becomes longer and narrower in transverse section, owing to the development 
of the bracts (text-fig. 10). Below the point of insertion the peripheral 2—4 bundles of 
the peduncle near the two ends of the ellipse branch, and these branches (text-fig. 10, o) 
ascend obliquely outwards, higher up they form an arc of bundles outside the general ring 
of peripheral bundles. The parenchyma, immediately within each arc and separating 
it from the general ring of bundles, becomes lacunar, the lacunze (text-fig. 10, /) having 
much the same relative position to the bundles as they do in the leaf. The original 
peripheral bundles (4) of the peduncle slightly higher up bend outwards, anastomosing 
with this new outer system of peripheral bundles passing into the bracts. 
At the level at which the bracts are inserted the median central bundles of the 
peduncle (text-fips. 7 & 10, a,a) each send out a large branch (text-figs. 7 & 10, c) 
horizontally in the median plane, which traverses the bract as the large adaxial median 
bundle. From approximately the same point on the median central bundles, branches 
are given off which ascend to the margins of the bracts. The main bundles of the 
bracts, like those of the leaf, thus come from the central vascular system. 
As the horizontal branches (c) go off the two ascending median bundles of the peduncle 
bend towards each other and, forming an arch, fuse, As they bend the central lacunar 
tissue disappears and is replaced by parenchyma and tannin-cells (text-fig. 7, p). 
