310 N. E. BROWN, SOME NOTES ON SEEDS AS MICROSCOPIC OBJECTS. 



body of the seed suspended within and to one side of a large 

 inflated network, puckered into irregular folds, resembling, under 

 reflected light, an irregularly crumpled bag of golden network 

 with iridescent reflections. 



Paulownia imperialis and P. Fortune! (Scrophulariaceae). 

 - ^The seeds of these two trees are very similar, but differ in 

 Size. P. imperialis is a native of Japan, not infrequently 

 cultivated, and has the smaller and rather whiter seeds, but both 

 are exceedingly beautiful. The narrow brown body of the seed 

 is longitudinally traversed by slightly elevated ridges or crests of 

 fine network, and surrounded by a broad irregular whitish wing, 

 deeply notched at each end. This wing is formed of two or three 

 layers of different breadths of beautiful lace-like tissue, and 

 when illuminated as above noted these seeds make lovely objects. 

 P. Fortunei is a Chinese species. 



Angelonia salicariaefolia (Scrophulariaceae). -The seeds of 

 this plant are about twice as long as broad, pyramidal in form 

 and coarsely reticulated all over, with the reticulations raised 

 into several longitudinal zigzag somewhat wing-like ridges. In 

 an allied species [A. integerrima) the substance filling the areas 

 of the reticulations is of very fine lace-work. All are natives of 

 Tropical America and some of them not uncommon ; the above 

 and some others are occasionally seen in cultivation. 



Orthocarpus australis (Scrophulariaceae). This plant has 

 rather peculiar seeds, the testa resembling a small balloon of 

 elegant pale-brown network, in the centre of which is suspended 

 the small narrowly ellipsoid dark-brown body of the seed, like 

 a bird in a cage. A native of Chili, and not in cultivation. 

 Other species of Orthocarpus have seeds built upon a similar plan, 

 some being quite as pretty, whilst others again are sculptured 

 somewhat as in Angelonia, but quite different in shape. There 

 are many species of this genus in California and the Rocky 

 Mountains, but none are in cultivation. 



Sesamum capense (Pedalineae). The saying "open sesame" 

 is familiar to us all, but probably few microscopists are as 

 familiar with the seeds of the plants from which that saying is 

 derived, or if they are, have possibly only seen seeds of such 

 species as have no wing surrounding them, and which are 

 neither attractive nor interesting objects. But the seed of 

 *S'. cajjense is an exception, for although not what would be con- 

 sidered a beautiful seed, it is certainly an interesting one, on 

 account of its structure. The ovate flattened dark- brown body 



