MR. J. MIERS ON THE BARRINGTONIACEJE. 49 
tinated together that they appear like one homogeneously solid body ; but often, in dry- 
ing, they become visibly distinct, leaving a narrow vacant space between them. This 
structure was first demonstrated in 1791 by Gaertner’, who gave several illustrations of it. 
He regarded the outer body as albumen, and the inner one аз а pseudo-monocotyle- 
donous embryo, consisting of 2 fleshy cotyledons and a radicle, all intimately conferru- 
minated into a solid mass. : ; 
_ Blume, in 1826*, adopted this view ; and DeCandolle, in 18283, did the same. 
Roxburgh, іп 1832', accorded with the definition of Gaertner, in considering the nucleus 
to be formed of albumen, of 2 cotyledons and a radicle, all intimately agglutinated into 
. one solid mass; his description, however, is more important, as he figured and described 
the changes produced in the act of its germination. Within the pericarp he saw the 
inner body, which he regarded as the embryo, throw out a long shoot at each extremity, 
to form a new plant, the rootlet issuing from the summit of the fruit, while a young 
stem, covered with scales, forced its way through the bottom of the pericarp. He added 
that **this part, which was a prolongation of the plumular extremity, formed the ligneous 
centre of the shoots, while the external body furnished the cortical part and the leaves : 
in this growth there was no appearance of any cotyledon; he saw simply the 2 bodies 
regarded by him as albumen and embryo." He further explained this development by 
saying that * the albumen performs the same office as a cotyledon," repeating that ** by 
the elongation of its two extremities it furnishes the bark and foliage of the young plant, 
While the opposite end of the embryo, or central part, supplies the wood and pith, just as 
in Garcinia and Xanthochymus ; only there the central portion or embryo is very slender, 
and the permanent root proceeds from the base of the plumule, as in the Monocotyle- 
dones, while that from the opposite end of the embryo soon perishes, or remains slender 
compared with the other." 
Wight and Arnott, in 1834*, defined this embryo as formed of two concentrie homo- 
geneous combined layers, not separable into cotyledons an& radicle. 
Griffith, in 1835 °, described the seed of Careya, and its growth in germination. It 
consisted of an outer fleshy mass enveloping a central body ; theouter body is surmounted 
by a few fleshy scales concealing others; and these form part ef the plumule: аз the 
latter expands upwards, it carries with it the scales, which appear. alternating on the 
ascending stem, which, at its summit, throws out true convolute leaves; at first the 
scaly plumule is concealed by the lobules on the apex of the external body. It is evident, 
he says, that the inner subulate body is the root, and the minute scales the plumule ; so 
that the outer fleshy mass ought to be considered cotyledonary in its nature, “ and might 
be explained by supposing the cotyledons to be affixed in a peltate manner, and united 
into a solid mass.” This last passage is very obscure, and assumes what is improbable. 
"Wight in 18407 still inclined to his former opinion, and, in order to explain his views, 
copied from Roxburgh’s drawing the figure of a seed of Butonica as it appears when 
germinating within the pericarp. 
1 уң &e. ii, 96, tab. 101. 2 Bijdragen, p. 1096. * Prodr. iii. 288. * Fl. Ind. ш. 634. 
Prodr. Fl. Pen. Ind. p. 333. € Proc. Linn. Soc. i. p. 280. ' Icon. tab. 152. 
