732 



those who are interested in the enquiry, to lend their aid in the inves- 

 tigation of this plant at the proper season. From the period when the 

 flowers expanded to the middle of August, I had no means of study- 

 ing the subject; and it will be seen by what follows, that the ovule, 

 during this interval, has undergone a most remarkable change. To 

 illustrate my remarks, I have judged it best to present the annexed 

 diagram (fig. 1), representing a longitudinal section of the ovule in the 

 third month after the expansion of the flower. 



Juniperus contmzinis. 



Pig. 1. — Longitudinal section of ovule three months after the expansion of the flower. a, primine. 

 b secundine. c, tercine or albumen, having a cavity (embryo-sac?) in the upper part. rf, a bundle of 



loose cellular tissue, suspended from the top of the cavity, and bearing at Its extremity the rudiment of the 

 embryo. The embi-yo, when mature, extends throughout the whole length of the albumen. 



I'ig. 2. — ^Longitudinal section of the tercine of the ovulum, dissected, to show the rudimentary embryo, 

 b, suspended from a bundle of vessels. 



Fig. 3. — The bundle of vessels in a younger stage, partly separated, to show the structure. 



The outer portion of the ovule («) has become much enlarged in all 

 parts except at the summit, where there still exists a minute orifice, 

 and the substance, once soft and cellular, is now altered into a hard 

 bony shell, lined on the inside with a thin membrane, which may be 

 detached when the berry is fiilly ripe. The next integument [b) is 

 the secundine, white, and somewhat leathery in texture, attached by 

 its base to the bottom of a. It corresponds with the nucleus figured 

 at p. 625 : all the contained parts have been subsequently developed. 



