834 REPORT — 1901. 



beinc thus delicately balanced. The leaves are elastic and tend to return to their 

 oritpnal position when displaced. 



The young shoots are rigid, but the older parts become elastic and iiexible, so 

 that the stem is kept erect by the leaves clinging to other plants, and falls down 

 when detached. When the plant withers in autumn the stems fall to the ground 

 and continiie their growth by buds which arise alternately in the axils of some of 

 tlie leaves ; the branches are thus able to extend over a large area in a manner 

 which would be impossible if they remained erect. 



Anatomy. — The epidermis has cuticularised walls. The cortex is turgid, con- 

 sisting of large cells with strengthening tissue at the comers, which act like pillars, 

 keeping the central cylinder stretched out. 



The endodermis is very distinct. The pericycle and tissue formed from it are 

 several cells thick. 



There are six vascular bundles separated by primary medullary rays. 

 There are pith cells, but the stem is hollow in the centre. lu an older stem the 

 cortex withers and becomes detached from the central cylinder, though the 

 ruptured endodermis cells still persist, and the central cylinder then contracts and 

 the vascular bundles become consolidated, whilst the primary medullary rays 

 become more or less obliterated. A continuous cork sheath, several layers thick, 

 is then formed from the pericycle. Adventitious roots arise at the nodes of the 

 older stems. 



The arrangements in Stellavia graminea, S. uliginosa, S. media, S. nemonmi, 

 S. glauca, and other Caryophyllacete are shortly compared. 



7. The Morphology of the 'Flowers ' o/" Cephalotaxus. 



BlJ W. C. WORSDELL. 

 Male ' Flowers.^ 



Comparison of structure with that of the allied genera Ginkgo, I'a.vus, Torreya, 

 Phyllocladus. History of views on subject : Eichler and Celakoi'slcy. 



Female ' Floivei's.' 



Account of comparative structure of normal ' flower.' History of views on sub- 

 ject: Eichler, Strasburger, Van Tieghem, Celakocsky. Author considers the view 

 on the morphology held by last-mentioned writer as the only tenable one. 



Orip-inal observations on proliferated inflorescences and ' flowers.' Proliferation 

 of both primary and secondary (' floral ') axes occurs. Latter consists in elongation 

 of an axillary axis on which the two ovules are situated laterally, and which may 

 ])roduce rudimentary foliar organs both above and below insertion of ovules. 

 Ovules may also appear as rudimentary foliar organs borne on the axillary axis. 

 This fact appears to author to refute the axial theory of ovule of ]^;ichler and 

 Strasburger, and to support the foliolar theory of same put forward by Celakovsky. 

 Value of metamorphogeuesis as an aid to determining morphology of any recondite 

 structure is illustrated i?i case of Cephalota.vus. 



8. The Morphology of the Ovule. An Historical Sketch. 



iiy W. C. WOKSDELL. 

 Three principal views as to morphology of ovule have been held : — 



1. Axial Theory, 



On thlstlieory the ovule is an organ of axial structure, the nucellus represent- 

 ing a bud, and the integuments the first-formed foliar organs thereof. Chief pro- 

 pounders of this view, von Mokl (1851), Schacht CISSO), EndlicJier and linger 

 (184-3), Alex, Braun (1860), 



