In
Physalis angulata it was confirmed that 3 small bundles in the uppermost internode of the primary axis (Fig. 2B,
1, 2, 3) were the median trace bundles of successive alternate leaves proper to the primary axis. At the top of this internode one of these bundles (
1, inferable to be the first to diverge) enters the leaf of this node with its lateral bundles branched from both adjoining bundles (Fig. 2C-E). The axillary bud trace follows them. At the same level the other 2 median leaf trace bundles pass one into each of the paired axes of the anthocladium to form the “dorsal bundle” of the latter (Fig. 2G,
d), which diverges as the median leaf trace bundle at the first node of the anthocladium. The vascular cylinder consists of, besides the median leaf trace bundle, those bundles that represent the lateral leaf trace bundles and the trace bundles of the associated axillary branch as well (Fig, 2F-H). Two small bundles left in the axis are distally bundles of the flower stalk (Fig. 2E-H,
p and
p'). The vascular behaviour clearly indicates the fusion of 3 nodes of the primary axis and shows that the paired anthocladial axes are the successive axillary branches of the primary axis, with which the subtending leaf is adnate. The same vascular behaviour in all the anthocladial nodes as that in the transitional node from the primary axis to the anthocladium leads to the conclusion that the anthocladium of this plant is composed of sympodia of successive orders consisting of 3 internodes: the hypopodium, elongate and adnate with the subtending leaf; the mesopodium, contracted resulting in fusion of 2 nodes; and the epipodium, representing the flower stalk (Fig. 8A). This interpretation of the anthocladium agrees with that proposed by Wydler
1) for
Datura and other solanaceous plants with the similar external features including species of
Physalis, and followed by many authors (e. g. Eichler
2), Wettstein
3), Goebel
4), Pascher
5, 6)). The vascular behaviour in
Solanum nigrum (Fig. 4) was found to support the above interpretation.
Anomalous nodes with the “paired leaves” lacking bifurcation of the anthocladial axis were often found in
Ph. angulata. The vascular courses in such nodes (Fig. 7) are merely a slight modification of those in the normal nodes, and reveals that the small leaf of the “paired leaves” is the first leaf of the sympodium, which diverges from its proper position, and that its axillary branch is arrested to remain as a small axillary bud, or completely disappears (Fig. 2B). In the latter case, a vestigial vascular supply was often observed.
As the anthocladial nodes of
Physalis alkekengi, var.
francheti coincide both in their external features and in the vascular behaviour with those of the anomalous nodes of the foregoing species, the same explanation of the morphology must be applied to this species in agreement with Wydler
1) and others. Fujita
9) brought forward another interpretation for this plant, as Troll
8) did for
Atropa belladonna. They regarded each sympodial section of these plants as an axillary branch of the sympodium of the next lower order, subtended by the large leaf of the “paired leaves”. and the small leaf as the first leaf of the axillary branch, which comes to be paired with the second leaf of the foregoing sympodium by the contraction of its
hypopodium (instead of the
mesopodium). No adnation of the branch and its axillant leaf is postulated by their interpretation (Fig. 8C). The invalidity of such an explanation for
Ph. alkekengi, var.
francheti was discussed.
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