94 Gwynne- Vaughan, — Observations on the 
such as in the stouter Hymenophyllums, where the xylem- 
strand has the form of a crescent with a protoxylem-group at 
either end. Judging from a diagram by Prantl, T. Bancroftii 
is somewhat after the same type, with the meristele flattened 
out, and the hooks of the xylem-band persistent, but closely 
adpressed to the curved position. According to the same 
authority the xylem-strand of the petiolar meristele of 
T. tanaicum also has the form of a crescent with two proto- 
xylems, one at either end, but with the phloem entirely 
confined to the abaxial surface of the xylem, the adaxial con- 
cavity being occupied by a group of fibrous elements. 
There are a number of points in the anatomy of the Scki- 
zaeaceae again that may be used for comparison with Loxsoma , 
but none are of sufficient weight to constitute a close relation- 
ship. For instance, there is at least one species of Aneimia 
(A. Mexicana ), in which a closed vascular ring is found in 
the stem. Through the kindness of Mr. Boodle, who is 
about to publish an account of the anatomy of this Order, 
I was enabled to examine a section of this plant, but there 
is little to be found in the exiguous vascular strand of the 
Aneimia that may be compared with the solenostele of 
Loxsoma save the bare form alone. It appeared to me that 
the vascular tissue of the Aneimia had undergone a great 
amount of reduction, in which opinion, I believe, Mr. Boodle 
also concurs. A much more striking analogy between 
Loxsoma and the Schizaeaceae is to be found in the exarch 
evenly distributed protoxylem-elements of the stem of 
Schizaea and Lygodium ; further, in Schizaea , and possibly 
also in Lygodium , the elements appear to be all scalariform. 
The petiole of Aneimia (A\ Phyllitidis ) exhibits again an 
almost typical example of a hippocrepiform meristele with 
cavity-parenchyma and sclerosed sieve-tubes. Too little is 
known about the detailed anatomy of the Schizaeaceae as 
a whole to drive the comparison further. 
