90 
Richard, and Duehartre. Much important information may 
also be anticipated from some recent memoirs by a Brazilian 
botantist — Dr. Ladislaii Netto, who has presented memoirs 
on the subject to the French Academy, extracts from which 
have only so far been published in the “ Comptes Rendus ” 
and “ Annales des Sciences ” for 1866, 1867, &c. 
Bignoniacece . 
Travellers in the Brazils tell us that by far the larger 
number of climbing plants in the South American tropics 
belong to the natural order Malpighiacese, and we should 
therefore expect that this would be the family which furnishes 
the majority of natural ropes. But this does not appear to 
he the case; the Bignoniacem stands preeminent as the 
natural order most largely used for supplying lianas for 
packing purposes, both as regards the quantity of ropes, and 
the largest number of species. 
Most of them are readily identified by the remarkable and 
symmetrical outlines presented by the cortical and woody 
systems of their stems when seen in a horizontal section, 
the bark being projected into the woody tissue, towards the 
centre, in the form of rays. These cortical rays are wholly 
formed of liberian fibres, and they vary in colour according 
to the species. In the majority of stems such prolongations 
of the bark are four in number disposed after the manner of 
a Maltese cross. In a few species each of the four cortical 
portions is very thick and perfectly square in contour, but 
in the larger number they are long and slender, frequently 
reaching the pith itself. 
The yearly additions to these rays do not proceed after a 
uniform method, and I shall notice two or three of the 
principal arrangements. The more common is that where 
the four primitive rays are deeply projected into the 
woody portion, the additions taking place each season in the 
form of plates deposited on each side of the primitive cor- 
