ii Selmar Schonland, [May 28, 



NOTES ON CYPHIA VOLUBILIS, WILLD. 



BY 



Selmar Schonland, Hon. M.A. Oxon., Ph.D., F.L.&., Curator of 

 the Albany Museum, Graham's Town. 



[Read Mat 28th, 1890.] 



When I was working out the Campanulaceae for Engler and 

 Prantl's "Natiirliche Pflauzenfamilien," ( x ) I was struck with the 

 absence of any detailed information on the plants which form the 

 sub-order of " Cyphioideae." I was unable to find anything about them 

 beyond their mere descriptions. As I had at that time only dried material 

 at my disposal, I was not in a good position for extending our know- 

 ledge of these plants. This was the more to be regretted since they 

 are generally considered to form a connecting link between the 

 Campanuloideae on the one hand and the Lobelioideae on the other 

 hand, because their flowers, being as a rule, zygomorphic, have the 

 general appearance of those of the latter and have free anthers, which 

 is the rule in the former. The following notes may therefore serve as 

 the first step to fill up this gap in botanical literature. 



My observations have mostly been made on specimens, which had 

 been kept in spirit for a short time. I may mention that I have only 

 observed the variety with sub-entire leaves and hairy anthers. ( 2 ) 



The vegetative organs of the plants, which I examined, were very 

 simple. The stem never branches in its lower portion. It rises from 

 the ground not much thicker than ordinary twine. As soon as it 

 reaches a support it begins to twist round it. On its lower portion it 

 bears about half a dozen very tiny toothlike leaves, and above these 

 about as many more foliage leaves. (Fig. i). It is terminated by a 

 simple racemose inflorescence (without terminal flower like the race- 

 mose inflorescences of the Lobelioideae), which is also twining. In rare 

 cases one or two lateral inflorescences are formed just below the 

 terminal inflorescence, which have the same simple structure as the 

 latter. The taproot, which has about the same thickness as the stem, 

 is at its lower extremity (usually 2 — 3" below ground) thickened into 

 a more or less globular tuber of \ — J" diameter. This tuber has, 

 therefore, morphologically speaking the same value as the tuben 

 known in other members of the Campanulaceae. ( 3 ) Both the tuber 

 and the upper portion of the taproot bear a number of rootlets. 



The anatomical structure of the stem is very much the same as in 



0). IV. Theil, 5. Abtheilung, pp. 40—70. 



( 2 ). Compare Harvey and Sonder, Flora Capeneis iii, p. 604. 



( 8 ). It is a root and not a stem as in the potato. 



