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Some Peculiarities in the Seed of SmilaX; Tourn. 



Moderate pressure upon a fresh ripe berry of Smilax miricu- 

 lata, Walt, forces out of it one, two or (commonly) three more 

 or less rounded masses of grayish horny albumen, each enclosed 

 In a thin smooth brownish closely adherent coat, marked with a 

 darker- colored, suborbicular hilum at the base, and with a distinct 

 dark raised point or minute tubercle at the opposite end, indicat- 

 ing the position of the small white oblong embryo. These albu- 

 minous bodies have been universally taken for the complete seeds 

 by writers upon Smilax from Gsertner to Gray. A careful dis- 

 section of some scores of ripe berries of ^\ auriciilata, Walt, and 

 green but full-grown berries of 5. lanceolata, L.^ enables me to 

 assert positively that this view is not strictly correct, at least as 

 regards these and some other closely allied species. 



The firm outer skin of the fresh ripe berry of 5. aiirtciilaia 

 encloses a thin layer of subfarinaceous, bvit more or less juicy 

 pulp, within Avhich are three cells (sometimes fewer by abortion) 

 with very thin membranaceous walls. Each cell is filled by a 

 transparent bag of more or less elastic tissue, suspended by a 

 short funiculus to the upper inner angle of the cell In each case 

 this bag contains not only a seed, ordinarily so-called, but also a 

 small quantity of very soft, moist, dark-colored pulp, mainly 

 lodged between the hilum and the funicular extremity of the 

 bag. The elasticity of this bag is such that it may be stretched 

 without breaking, to twice, thrice or even four times its original 

 length, and will afterwards contract to scarcely more than its first 

 size. This peculiarity is so marked that it has given a name to 

 the common southwestern Smilax (the subspecies S. Wrightii of 

 Alphonse de Candolle) of which a trustworthy Texan correspond- 

 ent* writes: ** It is commonly known as * bramble ' or 'stretch- 

 berry,' the latter name from the thin, rubber-like covering over 

 the seed, which is often used by children to put with chewing-gum, 

 making the gum stretch like rubber." t In the green but fuU- 



• Miss Sarah A, Trimble, Waco, Texas. 



t This elastic seed coat is so obvious upon an even moderately careful examina- 

 tion that it is hard to believe that it has altogether escaped the attention of botanical 

 writers. Nevertheless, despite extended and diligent search, I have not yet found the 

 slightest reference to it Moreover, the phraseology of leading authors, in more than 

 one instance, distinctly implies that they were unaware of its existence. Among 



