76 



GERMINATION 



I have not been able to find another and quite similar 

 instance but daresay it is not particularly rare. Lord 

 Avebury (on Seedlings) says that the seed of Ardisia Japonica 

 presents the remarkable peculiarity of often containing 

 several embryos, sometimes as many as six. The radicle 

 in such a case points in various ways, and in germination 

 each embryo makes its exit at a different place. 



But that is not the same thing. If there had been several 

 embryos in the acorn there would have been several radicles 

 as well as shoots and several pairs of cotyledons. And 

 as the latter occupj'- so much space in the seed, only 

 miniature seedlings could have appeared. Shoots on the 

 hypocotyl are met with now and again, as in the Linaria 

 Bi'partita, but that again is not quite on all fours with the 

 specimen before us. 



It was first sketched with the seed 

 coat intact. 



It was not a case here of more than 

 one seed within the seed coat as when 

 the latter was taken off it was seen that 

 the plumule and the shoots erected 

 themselves from and were connected 

 to the collar in quite the usual manner. 



yyj>.47 



Seen from the back the collar appeared 

 to be broader and thicker than in the 

 pot-grown seedlings and the radicle, both 

 in length, thickness and hardness ex- 

 celled that of any other plant yet 

 examined, showing that root development 

 was in keeping with upward growth. 



