229 
Note on Targionia hypophylla. 
type, the chief among which as stated were: (1) the occur 
rence of antheridia on ordinary shoots and the usual disc like 
male shoots; and (2) the absence of tooth-like interlocking pro¬ 
cesses from the involucral valves. 
In a paper by O’Keeffe in 1915 (New Phytologist, Vol 
XIV, Nos. 4 and 5) it has been shown that the peculiar male 
shoots described in the Himalayan form by the writer also occur 
in British specimen's, so that the character can no longer be said 
to be peculiar to the former. In the light of the details and figures 
given in the above mentioned paper it was thought desirable to 
examine some more Himalayan material of this species as regards 
the second peculiar character, i.e., the entire margin of the 
involucral valves, especially because at the time when the writer 
published his observations he was under the impression that the 
teeth on the involucral valves in the typical specimens were large 
enough to be visible to the naked eye. A thorough re-examination 
of material from Mussooree has brought out the following points:— 
1. As seen by the naked eye or with a lens the margin of the 
involucral valves as a whole is usually queit entire, though some¬ 
times a few small irregular obtuse teeth are present. 
2. As seen in microtome sections often the greater part of 
the valve-margin shows no interlocking processes as figured by 
O’Keeffe, or the marginal cells are only more or less irregular or 
disorganised, but a small part of the valves near the dorsal surface 
shows well developed interlocking processes. 
3. In other specimens distinct teeth were present on the 
whole of the margin. 
It appears, therefore, that since the two important characters 
on which the variety mtegerrima was based are not constant features 
of the Himalayan form, there is no need of the form being put in a 
separate variety. 
It may also be mentioned that according to the view put 
forward by the writer as regards the derivation of Targionia-like 
forms from Marchaiitia -like forms by reduction (New Phytologist, 
Vol. XIV, No. 1) the interlocking teeth on the involucral valves of 
Targionia would be the last remnants of the long processes of the 
fimbriated valves of the involucre of Marchaiitia, and even these 
teeth are in process of being eliminated. 
Shiv Ram Kashyap. 
