Danaea and other Marattiaceae. 
537 
M. cicutaefolia , Kaulf. 
M. Kaulf 'us sii, J. Sm. 
M. laxa, Kze. 
Danaea alata> Smith. 
Danaea elliptica , Smith. 
Kaulfttssia aescidifolia , Blame. 
Sections were made from them at all the important levels, 
as far as the material permitted. As is well known, the 
fronds of the Marattiaceae have a broad leaf-base with large 
stipules. From the top of the leaf-base springs the pulvinus, 
which then tapers into the rest of the petiole 1 . 
Secondary and tertiary pulvini are found at the bases of 
the secondary and tertiary axes. In some cases the leaflets 
of the pinnules are practically sessile, but even then the 
base of the midrib is swollen. A pulvinoid swelling is some- 
times present above the insertion of the lateral axes. This 
is of some slight importance, because occasionally in Angio- 
p ter is and Marattia , and frequently in Danaea , there are 
pulvinoid swellings or ‘ nodes ’ on the petiole. In the last- 
named genus there are often quite a number of these nodes 
normally present in some of the species. These swellings have 
been interpreted, apparently with good reason, as representing 
the position of lost pinnae. The internal structure of these 
‘ nodes ’ is practically identical with that of a basal pulvinus. 
Miss Shove (loc. cit.) has illustrated the structure and 
arrangement of the meristeles of the leaf-base and stipules 
of Angiopteris. There is no important difference in Marattia , 
or in the new genus Archangiopteris , so far as observed. 
Most of the fronds had been cut just below the pulvinus, so 
that the leaf-base was wanting, but the whole of a fair-sized 
plant of M. alata (reared from a stipule) was available. In 
this species there is a very distinct and considerable narrow- 
ing of the leaf-base at its insertion, and there is no reason 
to suppose that this feature is exceptional. Careful examina- 
tion of the leaf-base showed no sign of a stipular commissure, 
which is, however, stated to be present by Kuhn. His 
1 The fronds of the Marattiaceae are too well known to require general descrip- 
tion here, so only those parts will be specially mentioned which are concerned 
with anatomical features to be described. For the diagnoses of the various species 
the reader is referred to thfe 1 Synopsis Filicum/ Hooker and Baker. 
