84 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [FEBRUARY 
then unequal dichotomy of the middle vein sets in. Soon two 
lateral veinlets become prominent and form the midribs of two 
lateral lobes. This begins at about the 25th leaf. More pinnae 
are added in the same way until the pinnate adult leaf is established. 
The primary root is sparsely covered with coarse root hairs to 
within a millimeter of the tip. Hairs are less numerous on the 
secondary roots; and in the later roots the endophytic fungus also 
is less than in the primary root. The cortex of the stem, grow- 
ing downward around the primary root, carries the first leaf 
traces down. Decay~early attacks the primary root and works 
upward into the base of the stem. The secondary roots grow to a 
great length in proportion to the size of the plant, and seldom 
branch. In specimens 4 cm. long and 1 cm. in diameter roots 
extend a meter or more from the plant. 
The sporelings examined ranged from the small one described 
to plants 2-5 cm. in diameter and scm. long. Fig. 5 shows the 
tuberous form, the persistent swollen leaf bases (J) which with the 
stipules (s) hide the surface of the stem, the roots (7) that penetrate 
the old leaf bases, and the apex (a) inclosed by the interlocking 
stipules of the young leaves. The tendency to dorsiventrality 
shown by older Angiopteris stems does not appear in M arattia; 
the slight bend in a few specimens might easily be due to conditions 
of growth. The upper half of three of the larger plants elongated 
in proportion to the diameter, giving a flask-shaped contour to the 
plants. On the neck of the flask the leaves were separated by 9-5 
cm. This change of habit from the bulky leaf-covered base was 
accompanied by an important simplification of the vascular 
anatomy that will be described later. 
Methods 
Part of the plants were killed when they were gathered, in a 
mixture of 50 per cent alcohol and 4 per cent formalin; part were 
sent to Chicago in damp moss and killed in the laboratory m 
chromacetic acid. They were imbedded in paraffin and thé 
small sporelings cut 10 # thick, the large ones 15-20. A wee 
or more in the oven at 52° was necessary to infiltrate the older 
stems. The stain best adapted for general differentiation of 
