GAISER: CRYSTALS IN THE SPADIX OF ANTHURIUM 39I 
other species are growing in a plant house of the New York 
Botanical Gardens. 
Cells with stellate crystals are not as prominent as raphide- 
bearing cells, which are also plentiful in this material. The 
latter are always greatly enlarged cells with prominent nuclei, 
as described by Miss Smith (22) for the orchids, while the 
former give. little evidence of cell hypertrophy or abnormal 
nuclear size. In this connection it may be noted that Samuels 
(19), in a recent paper, reports finding in Anthurium scandens 
and A. Scherzerianum large raphide-containing cysts, which are 
pathological and arise as the result of the fusion of several cells 
and of their nuclei. Ordinary raphide-bearing cells also occur 
and differ from the cysts in that no nuclear or cell fusions occur. 
In the older tissues of Anthurium grande the crystal aggregate 
fills almost the entire lumen of the cell and the nucleus can be 
seen near the wall between the points of the crystals, as described 
by Lloyd for Ginkgo. Smaller crystals are found in otherwise 
undifferentiated parenchymatic cells that are no larger than 
normal adjoining cells, as can be seen in Fic. 3. Their nuclei, 
though perhaps shifted to one side or perhaps more noticeably 
to one end of the cell, are of normal size, and give evidence from 
their appearance that they are still truly functional. They are 
usually spherical or ellipsoidalin shape. In sections stained with 
the triple stain the one or more nucleoli stand out sharply 
against the more dispersed chromatin as it appears in an ordinary 
resting nucleus (FIGs. I, 2, 3). 
The cells of these tissues are already vacuolated. Younger 
ones toward the tip of the spadix showed numerous vacuoles 
with the nucleus in the centre of the cell; the older cells have one 
large central vacuole with nucleus and primordial utricle lying 
next to the cell wall. All the pith cells of the central axis had 
reached the latter stage, while those in the perianth varied. _ 
Many were still in process of division, and small stellate crystals 
could be seen in cells adjoining those with spindle figures. 
In Fic. 1 is shown a subepidermal cell from a perianth part 
with a comparatively small crystal group, little larger than the 
cell nucleus, whose nearly spherical shape and almost central 
position are quite evident. The cytoplasm shows numerous 
vacuoles and in one of these the crystal apparently lies, though 
the vacuolar membrane cannot be followed all the way round. 
