







308 



DB. M, T. MASTERS ON THE MORPHOLOGY, 





ary 



The young un- 



• 



fertilized 



at the base, thin above the middle ; the thick portion is persistent 

 throughout, but the thinner portion gradually shrivels and becomes 

 smaller in advancing from the base of the cone upwards : the 

 lowermost bracts have no fruit-scale within them ; those imme- 

 diately above the base of the cone produce a transverse line of 

 white, many-celled hairs about the middle of the inner surface 

 and which may be compared to the membranous outgrowth 

 in Cunninghamia. Above these are other bracts having in 

 their axils fleshy semilunar scales, less than half the size of 

 the bracts. At this stage the fruit-scales are entirely cellular 

 and consist of cells arranged in radiating lines. About the middle 

 of the inner surface of the bracts next succeeding, a transverse 

 groove may be seen. In the adjacent scale one ovule is observed, 





three 



The 



9 # # .* » 



number of the ovules and their position is not the same in all the 

 bracts, but if there be only one ovule that one is always in the 



centre. 



Structure ofth 



•If transverse and vertical sections 



be made of the base of the scale of Sciadopitys at this stage, 

 bundles of spiral vessels will be seen corresponding in number 

 to the number of ovules, so that the vessels do not appear till the 

 ovules are about to be, or are already, formed. In the bracts of the 

 upper part of the cone the phenomena are the same, but in inverse 

 order, the ovules disappear gradually from the axils of successive 

 bracts, the vessels are no longer seen, and the fruit-scale once 

 more becomes wholly cellular. In the mature cone the fruit- 

 scale largely surpasses the bract in size, and is confluent with it 

 for nearly its entire length. The arrangement of the xylem and 

 phloem in the bract is the same as in a leaf, and corresponds to 

 that in the true leaves of this species ; but in the ripe seed-scale 

 the position is reversed, as in the needles or cladodes (see ante, 



fru 



of the order. 

















F? 



placed 



the ends of lateral 



shoots, and usually show an abrupt transition between the leaves 

 and the perular scales enveloping the female flower, whilst these 

 scales, in their turn, are serially continuous with the bracts. The 

 nature of the fruit-scale in this group has received a larger share 



• : 



















































