280 
Here at opposite sides of the seed, both bundles traverse 
the stony coat and the soft endotesta where they fork 
and encircle the base of the free apex of the nucellus till 
they meet forming a closed ring. 
In a ripe condition the stony coat is circular in outline, 
at any rate lacks any indication of angles or ribs. The 
apical region of the seed is a very remarkable one (see: 
Oliver 101, pl. 14, fig. 13}. The micropyle lies in the 
centre of a ridge, below which on both sides of the seed, 
two shield-like areas are to be seen, covered by a thin 
translucent membrane representing the outer surface of 
the integument, where it is free from the cupule. À few 
millimetres below the top of the seed in the plane of the 
micropylar-ridge, two projecting papillae are present on 
the stony coat, indicating the place where the vascular 
bundles broke through the testa. 
8228. 1 l'axus: 
Literature: Dupler (56), Pilger (117), Robertson 
(123), Sahni (124a). 
Material: see table p. 283. 
The ovule bearing organ of Taxus consists of a pri- 
mary shoot and a secondary one. The primary shoot 
arises in the axil of an ordinary leave and bears a num- 
ber of little brown coloured scales in spiral order; in the 
axils of one or two of the uppermost ones the secondary 
shoot is borne. In the latter case, when there are two, 
the primary shoot ends as a little knob between them. 
The secondary shoot, developing a season later than the 
primary one, bears three pairs of decussate bracts or scales, 
