85 



embryosac (fig. 16 PI. V). Consequently no ovules, even no 

 nucelli are formed. 



In fig. 15 PI. V the placenta consists as yet of a homogenous 

 tissue while fig. 16 PI. V shows allready two easily recognised 

 embryosacs. The external layer of the placenta, the placental 

 epidermis is easily distinguished. 



Meanwhile that part of the flower which is situated below 

 the placenta and the carpellae (A B fig. 15 end 16 PI. V) has 

 grown , thus elevating the placenta and the carpellae and 

 bringing them farther away from the inflorescential axis; by 

 this proces the young flowers are pushed partly out of the 

 hairfelt, later on however the hairs undergo a more rapid 

 growth again so that when the placentae have allready con- 

 siderably been elevated (fig. 21 PI. VI) the hairs have again 

 grown above them. This will be the last time however that 

 the hairs will be longer than the flowers, afterwards the hairs 

 will never reach higher up than the base of the styles. 



In the meantime the carpellae have more and more approached 

 towards each other and are finally concrescent over a small 

 distance, where they are firmly grown together forming a well 

 defined cellseam. By subsequent growth of the placenta not a 

 trace of an ovarial cavity remains, the placenta touches at all 

 points at the carpellae (fig. 17 PI. V.) 



The embryosac now begins to grow downwards; the 

 nucleus divides while each of the two daughter nuclei moves 

 towards one of the poles of the embryosac (fig. 24 PI. VII and 

 17 PI. V). Allready at this stage one of the embryosacs may 

 perish (fig. 22 PI, VI). Such cases show that at this moment 

 allthough the placenta touches directly at the carpellae it is 

 as yet entirely free , for the collapse of the epidermal cells 

 above the degenerating embryosac shows the ovarial cavity at 

 that point. The large amount of plasma, in the outerlayer of 

 the placenta is very conspicuous in fig. 17 PI. V and fig. 22 

 PI. VI. The two nuclei at the poles divide again in the usual 

 way fig. 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 PL VII and we observe that the 

 antipodal couple usually contains considerably more chromatine 



