Harris — The Germination of Pachira. 205 



mina magna, globosa v. mutua compressione angulata; testa 

 retiiulato-venosa. Albumen ov. sublaminarum mufcosarum 

 plicis embryonis interpositarum forma ; cotyledones inaequales, 

 exterior triplicata interiorem minorem involvens." On the 

 seeds of how many species this generic character is founded 

 is not stated, though he examined several species in the living 

 state. In support of the character, he refers to Tussac,* 

 Martiusf and Lynch 4 I have not been able to consult the 

 fourth volume of Flore des Antilles, but Decaisne and Index 

 Kewensis retain the species P. grandijiora Tuss., as a good 

 one. The form figured by Martins is C.pi'inceps, a synonym 

 of J-*, aquatica, the same species treated by Lynch. The 

 Pachira a Jleurs blanches, the seeds of which were figured by 

 Doumet,§ has been described as P. oleagina by Decaisne. 

 These with the P. campestris here described make four of 

 the thirty-one species recognized by Index Kewensis which 

 have unequal cotyledons, and perhaps Decaisne has examined 

 other species the names of which are not given. 



The early stages of development of the seedling I have 

 not been able to study, since germination was quite well 

 advanced when I first observed my material and old seeds 

 from the herbarium did not germinate. When first noticed, 

 the stout green hypocotyl was from five to eight cm. in 

 length in the various examples, and the large green convo- 

 luted cotyledons well expanded, but the plumule had hardly 

 begun its development. The small cotyledon is not exactly 

 opposite the larger but is attached somewhat above it. Five 

 of the seedlings at this stage of development (PI. IX, 5, 

 6, 7. PL X, 9, PI. XI, 10) as well as another, the figure of 

 which was made somewhat later (PI. IX, 4), are figured, and 

 from these figures it will be seen that there is a very good 

 series of forms extending from the one in fig. 4 where the 

 cotyledons are almost equal in size, through those repre- 

 sented in figs. 10, y, 5, 6 to fig. 7 where the small cotyledon 



* Tussac, F. U. Fl. des Antilles. 4. pi. 4. 



t Martius. Nov. Gen. Sp. PI. 1. pi. 56. 



X Lynch, R. I. On the seed-structure and germination of Pachira 

 aquatica. Jour. Linn. Soc. 17 : 147-148. pL 8. 1880. 



§ Doumet, N. Le Pachira (Carolinea) a Fleurs Blanche.'*. Rev. Hoiticole. 

 \%Q&'.2Qi-2n. fig. 24-83. pi. 1. 1866. 



