SCULPTURE OF THE TESTA OF GERMAN JUNCACEZX. 145 
Seeds with transverse ridges only (or nearly so) —“ semina lineolata.” 
Seeds with uniform, longitudinal and transverse lines—** semina 
reticulata. 
The terms “ semina costata " and “ semina reticulata?" well express 
the nature of the organs, but those of “ semina lineolata " seem less 
appropriate, and would ouly be correct if these connected, unin- 
terrupted transverse lines surrounded the seeds (something like the 
hoops of a cask), and were not connected at all, or only slightly, by 
longitudinal lines. But this is not the case. True, if the seeds of any 
of the species under consideration (say Juncus effusus, or those even 
more delicately netted ones of J. bufonius) are placed under the micro- 
scope the transverse lines become conspieuous, but they do not sur- 
round the seeds; on the contrary, they are interrupted at some dis- 
tance by another series of transverse lines, which mostly oceupy the 
intermediate space between the others, and are united to them by 
longitudinal lines with forked points. The following may tend to give 
the best illustration of the formation :— 
n a "pides = dead hexagons,— something like the cells of 
a aterally. The two other parallel sides, 
which by this process have become elongated, would become rather 
prominent, forming a system of distinct parallel lines ; the four other 
sides of the hexagon not enlarged would represent longitudinal lines 
terminating in forks, and connecting the points of the transverse lines. 
This is the case with the seeds of Juncus ; the planes of the hexagon 
are concave, their edges projecting beyond the cavity; and though the 
transverse edges are more prominent than the forked (or where more 
blunt), wavy, longitudinal lines, yet one is not justified in following 
Engelmann in classifying the seeds exclusively according to the trans- 
verse lines; at least, when first consulting Dr. Engelmann’s otherwise 
excellent paper, I was led astray by this flaw, always seeing lon- 
gitudinal lines where, from Engelmann’s terms “ semina lineolata” I 
did not expect to find any. However, it is self-evident that the 
longitudinal lines (costæ), if they are uninterrupted, are more 
prominent than they are, as in the case before us, when bent 
towards one side or other. The bending, however, is either an 
obscure waviness, or a more sudden crumpling. It does, therefore, 
seem to me more natural to classify the seeds which Engelmann terms 
“ semina lineolata” with the “ semina reticulata " (perhaps with the ex- 
VOL. vi. [MAY 1, 1868.] 
