iy 
1884, | 463 [Branner. 
Mirbel stated that the fibro-vascular bundle originated in a utricle at 
the periphery of the phylophore, and grew upwards into it, whence it 
curved outwards and entered a frond base on the side opposite the one 
upon which it originated.* ‘Le plus grand nombre, si n’est pas la tota- 
lité, nait & la surface interne du phylophore * * * * une partie 
entre eux s’allongent et monte & peu de distance de cette surface, puis 
se courbe tout 4 coup vers la périphérie et va joindre la base des feuilles, 
qui elles rencontre chemin faisant.’’? He believed the number of bundles in 
a stem might increase indefinitely, and in this way he accounts for the 
spindle-shaped trunks of certain palms. 
Gaudichaud’s theory was, that the bundles all originated at the frond 
bases} in the phylophore, and grew downwards to the base, and out to 
the ends of the roots. Says M. Gaudichaud:t ‘M. Mirbel soutent que 
e’est de bas en haut qu’elle agit; moi je prouve par des faits, par tous ceux 
que j’ai observés que c’est de haut en bas, des bourgeons aux racines * 
* * Ils marchent done !’’ 
At the close of the reading of his seventh and last paper on this subject 
before the French Academy, he says, that whatever the Academy may 
think about the matter ‘il ne me restera plus qu’’m’écrire, moi aussi: Et 
pourtant ils descendent’!’’§ 
Dr. Von Martius stated, | that all fibro-vascular bundles connected with 
fronds ; that they originated in the phylophore, exterior to and below the 
others ; that the points of origin were organic; and that they grew up- 
wards and downwards. He believed the bundles to end blindly below in 
the periphery, and that they might come to the surface above, either on 
the same side of the stem, or on the side opposite. 
It is not my purpose to offer just here the objections that might be raised 
to the theories of these different authorities, but to present the result of 
my own observations in order, and to point out wherein they differ mate- 
rially from those of others. 
A. transection of a, full-grown palm trunk shows a number of hard 
fibro-vascular bundles scattered through it, without any further arrange- 
ment than that they are more numerous, harder, and generally colored 
near the circumference, while the parenchymous or pithy part prevails in 
the centre. A. hemisection from base to apex shows (Figs. ILI, IV,) that 
the bundles have, for the most part, the appearance of being parallel, 
while at short intervals a few of them are seen to curve out from the 
centre of the stem to the fronds, or to the spadices growing in the axes of 
the fronds, or in case both spadices and fronds have fallen, to their old 
scars, i 
In trying to trace any one of these bundles, we find that it, sooner or 
* Comptes Rendus de Vv Acad , 1844, Vol. IT., p. 690, 
+t Comptes Rendus de 1’ Acad.,, 1845, Vol. IL, p. 264, 
} Loe, cit, 
¢ Loe, clb., p, 272. 
| Comptes Rendus de lAcad., 1845, Vol, IT., p. 1038. 
