310 nE VIEWS. 



related terms, which is most convenient to employ, and also 

 the names of these several parts of the embryo and seedling. 

 This is, we believe, almost the first English book in which the 

 axial part of the dicotyledonous embryo below the cotyledons 

 (the radicle of the systematic botanist even of the present 

 day) is distinctly recognized as hypocotyledonous or initial 

 stem, although on the continent and in America this has long 

 been taught and accepted. None the less so although the 

 term radicle has been retained for it (until recently b}' the 

 present writer, at least), in order not to break with the ter- 

 minology of systematic works. Mr. Darwin, in this volume, 

 shortens the expression of " hypocotyledonous stem " into the 

 term " hypocotyl," — a fairly good English term, certainly 

 better than the French ticjelle. The objection to them both is 

 that the words will not take the substantive Latin form, as all 

 such terms should. "VVherefoi'e the better name — an old one 

 which we have reverted to in the last edition of the Botanical 

 Text-book (Structural Botany) — is caulide or cauliculus. 

 The initial root, which grows from the lower end of the 

 caulicle (or " hypocotyl "), Mr. Darwin calls the radicle, fol- 

 lowing in this the ordinary English usage, except in very 

 definitely distinguishing it from the cauline part above it. 

 Being simply root, we have preferred uniformly to call it so, 

 thus avoiding a word which the systematists have all along 

 applied to the caulicle. Although initial stem and initial 

 root are most clearly discriminated in the present volume, yet 

 in the accounts of the germination or the ordinary Dicoty- 

 ledons, it appears to be im])lied or stated, either that it is the 

 root-part which first projects from the seed-coats and that tlie 

 stem-part begins its development later, or that the axial j^art 

 of the embryo conspicuously preexisting in the seed is root 

 and not stem. We take it to be quite otherwise, namely, 

 that this axial part in the seed is cauline, and that ordinarily 

 it protrudes or makes some growth in length before root-for- 

 mation begins. 



A few misprints of names of plants will in no wise mislead 

 or trouble any botanist, except possibly in the case of Ap'iuyn- 

 f/rarrolrns, which on p. 422 and 424, and in the index, is 

 printed Apios. 



