— 206 — 
and the scales surround a bud. According to VELENOWSKY 
(1907 p. 501) this has the following significance: 
Nitraria has a pinnate leaf (or bipinnate) the petioles of 
which are reduced so that the leaflets are placed beside each 
other, and the scales between them are then partly stipular 
scales partly rudiments of leaflets. The bud between 
these leaflets is thus in reality the axillary bud of the leaf. 
This may during the same year give rise to a short-shoot 
which forms several of these whorls of leaflets one above 
another so that a leaf-rosette is developed — this is thick 
at the base and may have as many as 20 leaves (leaflets). 
Besides these year-shoot branches, shorter thorn- branches 
may occur. The year-shoot itself terminates in a branched 
inflorescence which of course dies after the fruit is ripe, or 
it ends as a thorn. 
Normal buds which have not formed a rosette during 
the first year, seem next year only to be able to form either 
rosettes or vegetative long-shoots, whereas the rosettes devel- 
oped during the first year may give rise to both vegetative 
and floral long-shoots. 
The plant flowers in May or June. The fruit is a black 
berry which is eaten by the natives. 
The anatomy of the leaf has been described by B. Jöns- 
SON (p. 26, tab. III), whose observations are confirmed by 
my own. The leaf is isolateral with sunk stomata on both 
sides, and 2—3 layers of palisade cells the inner ones being 
larger and less green. Amongst the palisade are large mucilage- 
cells. Like Jonsson I have found no tannic acid. — Compare 
also VOLKENS (table XJ) illustrations of the structure of Nitraria 
relusa. 
JONSSON also describes the anatomy of the stem and the 
bark, the latter with mucilaginous cork. 
Reaumuria oxiana (Ldb.) Bois. 
A much-branched dwarf shrub about 30 centimetres 
high, which prefers a firm soil, clay or stone. The stem is 
crooked and bent. The non-branching year-shoots may attain 
a length of about 15 centimetres, but only a portion of this 
