98 Ford.— The Anatomy of 
ment is seen (Fig. 3). The leaves seem to come off in whorls 
of three, but sections of the stem show that the leaves in 
question do not issue at the same level, the somewhat decep- 
tive whorled appearance being due to the reduction of the 
stem and the consequent crowding together of the leaves with 
very small internodes. In a mature specimen the petioles at 
first run horizontally for a distance of about 1-2 inches after 
leaving the stem. They then bend upwards through an angle 
of 90° and stand erect round the stem in the centre, resembling 
in a curious manner a number of pillars ranged concentrically 
round a central axis. 
The outline of the petioles varies with the age of the plant. 
In young specimens it is triangular, with a vascular bundle at 
each angle. Later the outline becomes circular, and in the 
mature plant it is convex on the outer side, i. e. on the side 
turned away from the stem, whilst the inner side is flattened. 
The main mass of the tissue of which the petioles are com- 
posed consists of spongy parenchyma with large air-spaces, 
and in this parenchyma the vascular bundles lie embedded 
and stand out as conspicuous dark lines on the sides of 
the petioles (Fig. 3). The young leaves are all circinately 
coiled, and are covered, together with the stem apex, with 
numerous ramental scales. These scales are very scarlous 
in texture. 
The roots in the mature plant arise from the base of the 
petioles, and are given off as a fringe just above that region 
where the upward bend occurs, which has been already 
described, when the petiole, from running horizontally, turns 
upwards and becomes erect. 
In the mature plant the roots seem to be confined to the 
convex outer side of the petiole. In younger plants, however, 
which possess only sterile leaves, petioles are found furnished 
with a fringe of roots extending all round the circumference ; 
whether this is the case in all petioles and only those roots on 
the side turned away from the stem finally persist, the rest 
dying off at an early age, I have been unable to determine, 
though this seems very probably to be the case. 
