The Seniors of the Forest 



297 



disk which has the seeds attached to it, and hence 

 is called the "semeniferous," or seed-bearing, scale. 

 The outstripped remain- 

 der of the carpel forms 

 a " bract-scale," and both 

 become woody and, in 

 many cones, are glued 

 together with resin. 



The ovule of the yew 

 has no carpel, but after 

 the vitalizing touch of 

 the pollen upon it the 

 ring shaped disk about 

 its base begins to grow, 

 and forms a cup around 

 the developing seed. 



Though three or four 

 of its little archegonia 

 may have been fertilized, 



the seed of a native 



gymnosperm contains but 



f . A 11 t 



One baby-tree. All the 



others were supplanted 



FIG. 8 3 .-Common silver fir 



truding disk and the two ovules ; 2?, 

 a part of a mature cone showing the 

 seed-bearing scales (j) and the bract 



by the growth of this one, which has become sole 

 heir, and will take to itself all the nourishment in 

 the ripe seed. This inheritance is no mean one. 



