of the Embryos in the Seeds of Coniferse. 371 



The upper extremity of each funiculus was in all cases mani- 

 festly thickened and of a depressed spheroidal form ; and in each 

 of the four cells or vessels of which it consisted exhibited a small 

 opake areola analogous to the nucleus of the cell, so frequently 

 observable in the tissue of Monocotyledonous plants, and which 

 also exists, though less commonly, in Dicotyledones. 



A lacerated and extremely transparent membrane was generally 

 found surrounding and adhering to the thickened origin or head 

 of the funiculus. 



In the earliest state examined of Pinus Pinaster, the funiculus 

 was found equally transparent through its whole length, and ha- 

 ving no appearance of subdivision or any other indication of em- 

 bryo at its lower extremity. In a somewhat more advanced state 

 of the same plant, as well as in the two other species observed, 

 namely Pinus sylvestris and Strohus, the lower extremity of the 

 funiculus was subdivided into short cells, sometimes disposed in 

 a double series, but more frequently with less regularity and in 

 greater numbers, the lowest being in all cases the most minute 

 and also the most opake, from the deposition of granular matter, 

 which is nearly or entirely wanting in the upper part of the cord. 

 This opake granular extremity of the funiculus is evidently the 

 rudiment of an embryo. When the funiculus ramifies, each branch 

 is generally terminated by a similar rudiment, and these lateral 

 embryoniferous branches not unfrequently consist of a single 

 vessel or cell, while the embryo of the trunk or principal branch 

 is as generally derived from more than one. 



That each of these opake bodies terminating the trunk and 

 branches of the funiculi are really rudimentary embryos, is proved 

 by tracing them from their absolutely simple state to that in 

 which the divisions of the lower extremity become visible, and 

 those again into the perfect cotyledons. 



The results of this investigation in its present incomplete state 

 are, 1st, that the plurality of rudimentary embryos in Pintts (and 

 probably in other Conifer ce) is not only constant, but much greater 

 than could well have been imagined independent of actual obser- 

 vation ; each impregnated ovulum not only containing several 

 distinct funiculi, but each funiculus being capable of producing 

 several embryos. In the ripe seed, however, it is a rare occur- 

 rence to find more than one of these embryos perfected. 



2ndly. That an embryo in Coniferce may originate in one or in 

 more than one cell or vessel even in the same cord ; and it also 

 appears that the lower extremity of the funiculus, the seat of the 

 future embryo, is originally in no respect different from the rest 

 of its substance. 



The greater part of the appearances now described are repre- 

 sented in the accompanying Plate. 



2B2 



