Notes . 
159 
crushed parenchyma. This structure continued unchanged for a 
distance of more than an inch down the root, and there was no sign 
within that distance of the isolated ring fusing with the ring of 
endodermis enclosing the vascular cylinder. The root in which this 
structure occurred was abruptly twisted and bent, and this fact may 
possibly be in some way correlated with the appearance of the endo¬ 
dermis. 
The chief points of interest to be noted in this anomalous structure 
are:— 
First, the occurrence of such an anomaly in roots, which generally 
show great uniformity in their structure. 
And secondly, the absence of all vascular tissue inside the ab¬ 
normal endodermis, just as Pfitzer found to be the case occasionally 
in Equisetum hyemale 1 . 
In view of the great stress which has been laid by Van Tieghem 
and others, in connexion with the stelar theory, on the endodermis 
as a layer of tissue of great morphological value, the first point is 
of especial interest, for the structure which is of critical importance 
in the stelar theory is thus proved to be capable of considerable 
variation even in the same plant. 
The second point is of interest as illustrating an additional instance 
of the possible existence of a complete independence between the 
endodermis and all vascular tissue; i. e. the endodermis can be fully 
developed without any reference to the vascular tissue with which it 
is so generally associated. 
F. J. LEWIS. 
Royal College of Science, London. 
THE ANATOMICAL STRUCTURE OP ROWENTA SPEC- 
TABILIS, Hook.—Having through the kindness of the authorities of 
the Royal Gardens, Kew, obtained some seedlings of Bowem’a, and 
having proceeded to examine their anatomical structure, I discovered 
the following characters in the vegetative axis. 
In the extremely short young stem the central cylinder contains 
about three stout bundles consisting of a great deal of secondary 
tissue, and a large amount of parenchyma. Leaf-trace bundles occur 
1 Pfitzer, Ueber die Schutzscheide der deutschen Equisetaceen, Pringsh. Jahrb. 
f. wiss. Bot. vi, 1867, p. 320. 
