The Anatomy of Stenochlaena palustris (Burm.) Bedd

The stelar anatomy of Stenochlaena palustris is described. Thestem is dictyostelic and in transverse section shows five orsix closely situated large central meristeles. Around theseare two rings of smaller peripheral bundles. These outer ringsare mainly ‘residual traces’ derived from the leaf-and root-traces. They anastomose freely and are intimately connectedwith the central system. The dictyostely of the latter is due both to leaf-gaps and tomom or lesa random perforations, the latter being the more numerous. The leaf-trace, at first binary, enters the petiole along witha large number of the smaller bundles from the stem periphery.‘Root-traces’ are given off from the base of theleaf-gaps.