OR YOLK. 293 



and Garden Nasturtium are, as he seems to 

 indicate in his Introduction, p. 151, rather 

 of the nature of a Vitellus. It does not 

 appear that any plant with genuine ascend- 

 ing Cotyledons is likewise furnished with 

 this organ ; on the other hand, it com- 

 monly belongs to such as have the most 

 copious Albumen, and therefore should 

 • seem to answer some other end than mere 

 nutriment, which is supplied by the latter. 

 We learn from the above inquiries, that 

 the old distinction between plants with one 

 Cotyledon and those with several may still 

 be relied on, though in the former the 

 part which has commonly been so deno- 

 minated is the Albumen, as in Corn, the 

 real Cotyledon of which is the scale or 

 Vitellus, which last organ however seems 

 wanting in Palms, Lilies, &c, such having 

 really no Cotyledon at all, nor any thing 

 that can perform its office, except the stalk 

 of their Embryo*. In the Horse Chesnut, 

 Oak and Walnut possibly, whose sred-lobes 



* This may answer the purpose of a Cotyledon, just as 

 the stems of many plants fulfil the office of leaves. 



