244 
and composed of great-cellular, thinwalled, delicate tissue, 
soon collapsing in the ripe seeds. As in the sarcotesta it 
contains many tannin cells. 
At the top in the micropylar region the sarcotesta forms 
two thick cushions, with a groove between them, in which 
the micropyle stands as a little prominent tube. Eichler 
(63) says, speaking about the micropyle of Cycas ,an der 
Micropyle finden sich zuweilen noch einige unregelmässige 
Läppchen, aus denen man auf eine Zusammensetzung aus 
mebreren Blättern hat schliessen wollen, während sie in 
Wabhrheit nur secondaire Effigurationen einer ursprüngjlich 
einfachen Hülle darstellen” (p. 15). The seeds I have seen 
had a micropyle that was always round without any indi- 
cation of slips. But it is quite possible that other specimens 
will show those lobes more distinctly. 
The testa in young ovules is still quite undifferentiated 
and nowhere, even in older ones, I could observe anything 
that was to indicate that it was built up of more organs, 
sutures or ribs always being absent. 
The nucellus is concrescent with the endotesta to three- 
fourths of its height. At the top it bears a prominent beak 
in which the pollenchamber is to be found. The beak 
points into the micropylar tube. 
The vascular system consists of three bundles entering 
the base of the ovule. The median one runs straight on, 
till the endotesta is reached and there it divides into several 
branches. The two lateral bundles enter the sarcotesta, at 
the base of which they let off one bundle each, breaking 
through the sclerotesta and running in the endotesta to 
the micropyle. The main-bundels continue their way through 
the sarcotesta to the top. According to Stopes (145) 
these two sarcotestal bundles are the remnants of the 
original radio-symmetry and many-bundled condition of 
the outer flesh. 
In the nucellus no vascular system is present. 
