OR WHITE. Sgl 



Corn, Palms, Lilies, never rising out of the 

 ground nor assuming the office of leaves, 

 being destined solely, to nourish the germi- 

 natinii!; embryo, till its roots can perform 

 their office. In the Date Palm,/ 1 9.9, G^er^ 

 71 cr, t. 9, this part is nearly as hard as a 

 stone ; in MirabiUs, E rot. Bot. t. 2.3, it is like 

 wheat flour. Jt is wanting in several tribes 

 of plants, as those with compound, or with 

 cruciform flowers, and the Cucumber or 

 Gourd kind, according to Gaertner. Some 

 few leguminous plants liaA'e it, and a great 

 number of others which, like them, 'have 

 cotyledons besides. We are not however 

 to suppose that so important an oro-an is 

 altogether wanting, even in the above- 

 mentioned plants. The farinaceous matter, 

 destined to nourish their embryos, is un- 

 questionably lodged in their cotyledons, 

 whose sweet taste as they beo-in to rermi- 

 nate often evinces its presence, and that it 

 has undero-one the same chemical chano-e 

 as in Barley. The Albumen of the Nut- 

 meg is remarkable for its eroded variegated 

 appearance, and aromatic quality ; the co- 

 tyiedon<5 of this seed are very^ small 



