1917] HUTCHINSON— KETELEERIA 125 



by scales; the lower scales are short, those above becoming increas- 

 ingly longer. The " flowers" are situated on the margin of the 

 dilated peduncle in the form of a circle or false crown, one or two 

 "flowers" being situated near the center of the receptacle. The 

 number of staminate cones in a cluster ranges from 6 to 10. It is 

 rather remarkable that the other genus of Abietineae (Pseudolarix) 

 which shows such an arrangement of staminate cones is also an 

 endemic of China. Pirotta regards this character of sufficient 

 importance to warrant the division of Abietineae into the Eua- 

 bietineae, including those forms whose staminate strobili are 

 single (Abies, Picea, Pseudotsuga, Tsuga), and the Pseudoabie- 

 tineae, including those forms whose staminate strobili are in 

 clusters (Keteleeria and Pseudolarix) . 



Pirotta (15) has examined also the anatomical structure of 

 the root, stem, and leaves. The root is characterized by a primary 

 axial resin canal, by secondary canals arranged irregularly in the 

 secondary wood, and by the presence of resin-bearing "idioblasts 

 in the secondary cortex. In the branches there are resin canals 

 and mucilage-bearing "idioblasts" in the primary cortex only. 

 The leaves are bilateral and contain 2 marginal resin canals and 

 also mucilage "idioblasts" in the mesophyll. 



The vascular anatomy has been studied also by Holden (ii), 

 who says "Keteleeria has the wood structure of Abies. Ray 

 tracheids are entirely absent even in such primitive structures as 



•' 



the first annular ring, cone-bearing branches, cone axis, and are 

 not recalled after wounding, although there is an abundant forma- 

 tion of traumatic resin canals." 



Radais (17) has classified conifers according to the distribution 

 of the resin ducts ("caneau secreteurs") in the megasporophylls. 

 Upon this basis Keteleeria is placed with Cedriis and Picea, cross- 

 sections of the sporophyll, about the middle of the seed, showing 



a 



in 



Pseudotsuga, and Abies the}' are situated in the inner parenchyma; 



and in Pin us, in the outer parenchyma only. This classification, 



according to the admission of the author, is "surtout artiiiciel." 



The anatomy of the staminate strobilus has been described 



• Aase (i). The general tendency in the evolution of conifers 



• 





