Abstract
OUR knowledge of the anatomical structure of the stem of Monocotyledons has hitherto been pretty much confined to that of palms, and has been founded to a great extent on the researches of Mohl and Mirbel. It has hence been assumed, perhaps somewhat rashly, that the type of structure is far more uniform in the stem of Monocotyledons than of Dicotyledons. For the purpose of investigating this point Dr. Falkenberg has submitted to very careful examination the stem of one or more species belonging to as many as seventeen orders or sub-orders of Monocotyledons, and shows that our previous conceptions must be modified in several respects. The stem of Monocotyledons, he states, is divided into an inner central cylinder and an outer cortical layer by a separating sheath which is developed in some cases from the internal, in other cases from the external tissue. As regards the course of the fibrovascular bundles in the central cylinder, and the degree to which they are differentiated from the fundamental tissue, he finds three different types of structure. Perhaps the most important correction of ideas previously accepted is his complete refutation of the statement found in so many text-books, that Monocotyledons have none but adventitious roots. Dr. Falkenberg asserts that the existence of a normal taproot is general in Monocotyledons, with the exception of those that are altogether destitute of a root. The adventitious roots which subsequently, in many cases, supplant the original tap-root, do not differ from it in an anatomical point of view.
Vergleichende Untersuchungen über den Bau der Vegetationsorgane der Monocotyledonen.
Von Dr. P. Falkenberg. Mit drei Tafeln. (Stuttgart: F. Enke, 1876.)
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
B., A. Vergleichende Untersuchungen über den Bau der Vegetationsorgane der Monocotyledonen. Nature 14, 349 (1876). https://doi.org/10.1038/014349a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/014349a0