INVESTIGATIONS ON THE PHYLOGENY OF THE ANGIOSPERMS 7 
finement of the unilacunar type for the most part to less primitive 
groups, provide convincing evidence that the former condition is 
more ancient than the latter. 
The importance of this conclusion is evident when we observe 
that there is a definite correlation between nodal topography and 
leaf type. This is indicated briefly for certain representative floras 
in the following table. 
Table IV 
Palm. S- 
a m 
L. 
Palm 
C. 
Pinn. S. 
Pinn 
L. 
Pinn 
c. 
2 
.J 
;H 
'5 
'S 
1 
% 
% 
% 
% 
% 
% 
% 
% 
/o 
% 
% 
% 
Tropical tree genera 
(Engler) 
64 
36 
ICQ 
0 
94 
6 
47 
53 
ICQ 
0 
93 
7 
Temperate tree genera 
(Engler) 
87 
13 
ICQ 
0 
93 
7 
52 
48 
100 
0 
97 
3 
Northern United States 
Woody plants 
92 
8 
ICQ 
0 
97 
3 
65 
35 
ICQ 
0 
86 
14 
Herbs 
69 
33 
94 
6 
95 
5 
42 
58 
67 
33 
90 
10 
Great Britain 
Woody plants 
ICQ 
0 
ICQ 
0 
100 
0 
77 
23 
ICQ 
0 
91 
9 
54 
46 
88 
12 
99 
I 
36 
64 
79 
22 
95 
5 
Italy. 
Woody plants 
78 
22 
ICQ 
0 
95 
5 
53 
47 
67 
33 
96 
4 
Herbs 
54 
46 
94 
6 
97 
3 
38 
62 
78 
22 
92 
8 
China. 
79 
21 
97 
3 
93 
7 
56 
44 
91 
9 
Japan. 
Woody plants 
84 
16 
96 
4 
97 
3 
59 
41 
94 
6 
Amazon Valley 
Woody plants 
267 
74^ 
ICQ 
0 
ICQ 
0 
31 
69 
88 
12 
66^ 
34^ 
83 
17 
93 
7 
30 
70 
67 
33 
ICQ 
0 
Hawaii. 
94 
6 
ICQ 
0 
ICQ 
0 
35 
65 
100 
0 
South Africa. 
90 
10 
ICQ 
0 
84 
16 
34 
66 
100 
0 
It is apparent that among woody plants the great majority of 
palmate simple leaves are associated with a multilacunar node,^ 
although this is not so evident among herbs. Practically all of the 
palmate lobed and palmate compound leaves, in both woody and 
herbaceous plants, belong to multilacunar species, and only a slightly 
smaller percentage of the pinnately compound leaves, as well. Fully 
^ Exclusive of Melastomaceae, Woody plants, 75 — 25; herbs, 80-20. 
^ Where the node is unilacunar with this foliar type, as among the Melastoma- 
ceae and certain of the Lauraceae, Verbenaceae and others, the leaf trace, although 
causing but a single gap, is almost always itself divided into three strands. 
