244 Wilson.— The Mucilage- and other 
anum does not differ to any appreciable degree from the 
foregoing. 
AEGIALITIS. 
Aegialitis annulata , a leathery-leaved undershrub from the 
sea-coast of Australia, is one of the most remarkable species 
of the order. The extremely mucilaginous nature of the 
plant may be understood from its gummy appearance in 
herbaria, where it is alone to be met with in this country. 
The petiole is of considerable length, and amplexicaul to a 
great degree. The inspection of a piece of epidermis from its 
base at once reminds one of the ‘ digestive surface ’ of Nepen- 
thes. The similarity is only superficial, for in Nepenthes the 
glands lie at the termination of vascular traces, whereas 
the mucilage-glands of Aegialitis and all other Plumbagineae 
have no such connection. The largest glands in Aegialitis 
are found in the axils of the leaves (Fig. 27), but those on the 
laminae (Fig. 16), bracts, and sepals, though smaller, are of 
the same character. The secreting cells are very numerous, 
and lie in an oval or circular depression, bounded by regularly 
arranged cells (Figs. 16, 27, ;r), and their function in all cases 
appears to be mucilage-secreting. The partitions of the epi- 
dermal cells forming the rim of the depression correspond 
with walls of the basal cells ; but between these there are 
many basal walls (Fig. 16, b) which do not reach above the 
sub-epidermal tissue. 
VOGELIA. 
A very few mucilage-glands were detected in the axil of a 
small leaf of Vogelia indie a, var. socotrana (Fig. 28). In 
structure they agree essentially with those in Aegialitis, being 
sunk, and having the same well-defined boundary. Here it is 
seen to slope gradually up to the summit (Fig. 28, x), a little 
above the surrounding leaf-surface, then suddenly dip down- 
ward till it meets the secreting cells. Axillary glands were 
not met with in either V. indie a , V. africana , or V. pendida. 
Probably renewed search would lead to their discovery in all 
