366 Linncean Society : — 



seeds are horizontally attached in two longitudinal rows. Each seed 

 is about an eighth of an inch in length, is oval, slightly gibbous on 

 the upper side, the lower or ventral face presenting a prominent 

 keel, extending from the base to the apex ; the external tunic is 

 fleshy, of an orange colour, and easily scraped off, when beneath the 

 keel is seen a conspicuous raphe, one end of which proceeds from 

 the basal point of attachment and terminates in the apex, where it 

 is lost in an aperture seen in the crustaceous shell of the seed ; this 

 aperture is in the centre of a radiately striated cup ; the shell is 

 striately- punctate outside, smooth inside, and is lined with a free 

 membranaceous integument, contracted at its summit into a narrow 

 neck of a darkish colour, by which it is suspended from the extremity 

 of the raphe-like cord that has penetrated through the apical aper- 

 ture : a solid nucleus filling the cavity of this inner integument is of 

 a pale-green colour, marked by numerous parallel yellow striae which 

 cease around an areolar space at the base, in the middle of which is 

 seen a minute shining tubercular point : the apex of the nucleus is 

 distinguished by a short hemispherical nipple-shaped protuberance 

 of a smaller diameter, which is divided to its base by a distinct trans- 

 verse cleft into two equal portions, the bottom of this commissure on 

 the ventral side corresponding with the dark-coloured neck of the 

 inner integument, as well as with the somewhat lateral aperture in 

 the summit of the outer shell, and with the termination of the cord 

 described ; on making a longitudinal section of this nucleus, the cleft 

 above-mentioned is more distinctly seen, and at the bottom of the 

 commissure is observed a minute prominent point, and in the axis 

 extending from this point to the small tubercular speck at the base, 

 there is observed a continuous line, more or less narrow, somewhat 

 curved, more opake and of a whiter colour than the rest of the 

 nucleus, the principal fleshy mass being of a semicrystalline hue. 

 This internal thickened line is what Gsertner considered to be the 

 embryo of the seed, and the fleshy surrounding mass to be copious 

 albumen. Choisy, Cambessedes, and most other botanists have con- 

 sidered the main body of this nucleus to be two large cotyledons 

 agglutinated into one solid mass, the line of their junction being 

 indicated by the curved line just mentioned; while they held the 

 nipple-shaped protuberance to be the radicle. Mr. Miers, however 

 concludes, from the facts above described, that the seed is enveloped 

 in a fleshy arillus, and exhibits between it and the testa a free raphe, 

 extending along the ventral face from the point of its attachment at 

 the placenta, to the apex, where it penetrates the cuj)-shaped ring 

 situated near the summit of the testa, through a distinct hole in the 

 bottom of the cup, and where it is lost in the apex of the inner 

 integument in the centre of its distinctly marked chalaza. Another 

 small cicatrix is observed at the opposite extremity of the testa, at a 

 point near its attachment to the arillus and placenta, which must be 

 considered as the micropyle. The distinct aperture in the summit 

 of the testa through which the nourishing vessels of the raphe reach 

 the chalaza, is called by the author the diapyle, in contradistinction 

 to the micropyle observed at the opposite extremity of the testa. 



