NOTE ON CALYCOPTERIS FLORIBUNDA. 839 



other at different levels. Here, again, we have in the stem of this 

 plant, an adaptation in the form of these conduits of inter-xylem 

 phloem for storing large quantities of water in the stem. The thin 

 cells in these conduits, when fully turgid, must be holding large 

 quantities of water which they draw by osmosis from the neigh- 

 bouring wood-fibres and wood-vessels in connection with which 

 these ducts and the number of them formed in this plant ( Fig. 2 ), 

 these reservoirs of water appear to be the special provision of water 

 by Nature in the plant to be drawn upon in emergency. 



Coming to the leaf, the size of the leaf (to my mind) 

 appears to be comparatively small for such a giant woody creeper, 

 taking into consideration other climbing plants belonging to the 

 same Natural Order, e.g., Quis-qualis, Combretum, &c. This 

 reduction of the leaf area appears in the first instance calculated to 

 reduce transpiration which means reservation of water in the stem. 

 In the microscopical examination the leaf appears to belong to that 

 type known as the dorsiventral. The epidermis appears to be one 

 cell deep. On the upper surface it is strongly cuticularised and 

 devoid of stomata having conical hairs. On the lower surface the 

 epidermis is thin, and is made up of flat sinuous cells round about 

 the stomata which are on the same level with them, and of some- 

 what cylindrical cells in the regions of the principal veins. The 

 cylindrical epidermal cells give rise to conical hairs, whilst very 

 peculiar watch glass shaped reddish glandular hairy scales are seen 

 freely distributed but symmetrically arranged in small pits in con- 

 nection with the sinuous epidermal cells. Some allusion to these 

 peculiar hairy scales is found in Gibson's Bombay Flora, 1861, 

 where the leaves are described as " resinous dotted beneath the 

 young ones tomentose." Also in Theodore Cooke's Bombay Flora 

 of recent date, where he says "both surfaces more or less tomentose, 

 the lower rusty and pitted." The development in pits of these 

 numerous hairy scales and their symmetrical arrangement must 

 have some significance. The resinous excretions of these hairy 

 scales must absorb dew at night-time, and thus the turgidity of at 

 least the cells of the leaves is insured during the night-time after the 

 exhausting work performed by them during the day. These hairy 

 scales must be, therefore, absorbing some quantity of water in the 



