288 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1895. 



tvveeu the seed and the pericarp is found a mass of jelly, which, it 

 should he noted, is present before germination. 



In my search for the origin of this jelly-like secretion, I observed 

 that it adhered firmly to the seed-coat, and I was inclined to believe 

 that possibly the latter might in some way give rise to this substance. 

 On examination I found no trace of glandular organs upon the 

 episperm nor did the outer cells themselves indicate gelatinatiou. 

 I continued my search, however. Fig. 2 sufficiently indicates that 

 we find neither special glands nor metamorphosed cells in the portion 

 of the pericarp represented in the drawing. It represents almost any 

 part of the pericarp, except that which I shall now describe. My 

 attention was next directed to the thickening, 11., fig. 3, which corre- 

 sponds to the point of attachment of the fruit to the spadix. This 

 is brown in color and quite rugose. On making sections I found 

 that the wrinkles or folds are thickly heset with trichomes, shown 

 in fig. 4. They are more or less club shaped, of a brownish color, 

 especially en mussc, and of a varying size. In general appearance 

 there is a striking resemblance to the glandular hairs producing 

 the gelatinous coating on the young leaves of Braserda peltata 

 Pursh, and I have no doubt that the jelly-like secretion of the fruit 

 of Peltandra undulata Raf. owes its origin to those glandular 

 trichomes situated in the basal thickening of the pericarp. This 

 view was confirmed by subsequent observations, especially during 

 the process of germination. The first indication of germination 

 is probably the swelling of the jelly-like mass, thereby ruptur- 

 ing the pericarp, which is thrown otf, maintaining, however, its 

 attachment to the secretion, wlfere this, according to the view just 

 expressed, originates from it. Peculiar striae may be observed in 

 the jelly, all tending toward the point of attachment, fig. 6, n. 



That the formation of the secretion is not in any way connected 

 with the development of the embryo, was proven conclusively upon 

 opening imperfectfruits, fig. 7, /./'., in which the ovules were either 

 abortive or not fertilized, there being no embryo and the whole 

 cavity being completely filled with jelly. The function of producing 

 the jelly must therefore devolve upon the pericarp, and of this the 

 only portion which seems adapted to this kind of activity is the 

 thickening at the base, above referred to. 



In my paper on Braserda peltata Pursh I have called attention 

 to the fact that the great quantity of water which is the principal 



