﻿74 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [january 



Stomata, corresponding in structure with those of Ficus bengalensiSy with 

 which they were compared, were abundant on the internal surface of the 

 ascidium. but absent on the external surface, which contains the palisade 

 tissue. Furthermore, the outer surface (the dorsal surface of the leaf) of the 

 ascidium is provided with a hypodermis, which is interrupted here and there 

 by a large cystolith-containing cell, neither of which is found on the inner 

 surface. In addition to the normal form, two leaves were found in which 

 two pouches were formed, one on either side of the midrib, by the coalescing 

 of the inner surface of the ascidium with the midrib along a line opposite to 

 the midrib. The course of the vascular system in both forms is described. 

 Their ontogeny was also studied, the first indication of the formation of an 

 ascidium being found in a leaf about 1.5™"^ in length, while at a length of 4'''"' 

 the complete structure was found. The ascidium results from the formation 

 of the lamina completely around the end of the petiole, and corresponds, 

 except that it takes place in an inverse manner, with the development of 

 ordinary epiascidia. As to whether the phenomenon is teratological in nature 

 or whether the trees are to be regarded as representing a distinct species 

 cannot yet be decided. The great age of the phenomenon would be indi- 

 cated by the legends concerning the miraculous transformation of the leaves 

 of an old banyan {F. bengalensis) from which these trees descended, 



Penzig'''^ has also published teratological notes, most of which deal with 

 foliar ascidia. In Smilax aspera he describes epiascidia in which the coales- 

 cence of the foliar margins occurs toward the apex instead of the base of the 

 leaf. He designates this form as apical epiascidium, in contradistinction to 

 the very common basal epiascidium. Apical epiascidia have hitherto been, 

 recorded in teratological literature in Tulipa Gesneriana, In Carica Papaya 

 he figures and describes a large series of interesting malformations in acces- 

 sory stalked laminae produced from the center of the leaves. This phenom- 

 enon in itself is so rare as to be of great mterest, but this interest is greatly 

 increased by the extraordinary conformation of the lamina of the accessory 

 leaf. In the simplest form the leaf is a simple, basal epiascidium ; in 

 more frequent cases the modification represents twin ascidia (diplascidia), 

 that is, one to the right and the other to the left of the midrib. Similar 

 ascidia are frequent in Saxifraga crassifolia. The midrib may become free 

 from the ventral surface or extend through the lower somewhat peltate por- 

 tion of the lamina, bearing above a more or less completely developed ascid- 

 ium. Several more or less perfectly formed ascidia, sometimes as many as 

 four, may occur on the same midrib, in which case the forms alternate, a hypo- 

 ascidium following an epiascidmm and vice versa. The part of the paper 

 dealing with ascidia is illustrated by forty well chosen and executed figures. 



DisCHiDiA RAFFLESIANA has attracted the attention of several writers, 

 as Wallich, Griffiths, Beccari, Treub, and Groom. Since 1890 it has been 



40 



Penzig, O., Note di Teratologia Vegetate. Malpighia 16 : 164-176. j^/j. 4-^* 

 1902. 



