THE SEEDLING PLANT. 



dicotyledonous and the other polycotyledonous embryos. The first group 



includes the whole of the Taxads, the greater part of the Cupressineae and 

 Taxodinese and some of the Araucarinese ; the second 

 group includes the Abietiiieae, the section Eutassa of 

 Araucaria, the Sequoias, Callitris and probably 

 a few others. In the Journal of the Linnean 

 Society * Dr. Masters gives a comprehensive list 

 of the number of cotyledons in seedlings examined 

 by himself and others, from which we select a 

 few well-known species. In Abies pectinata and 

 A. sibirica the number is 3 7, Abies nobilis 6 8, 

 Cedrus Libani 6 11, Larix europaea and L. GrffifMi 

 5 7, L. sibirica and L. americana 4 5, 

 Pinus Laricio 4 8, P. Pinaster 5 8, P. radiata 

 69, P. ponderosa 611, P. Cembra 814, 

 P. excelsa 812, P. Coulteri 1014, P. Sabiniana 

 12 18, the last named being the highest observed 

 number. A few instances are added selected 

 from about forty species 

 observed by the author 

 and not contained in 

 Dr. Masters' list. Abies 

 amabilis and A. magni- 

 fied 6 7, Picea sitchensis 

 4_5, p. Glehnii 5 6, 

 P. obovata 6 7, Tsuya 

 carolimana 3, T. Albert- 

 iana %_^ T Mertensiana 



3, Pinus mitis 6 7, P. muricata 4 6. 



From the two series of observations it may 



be assumed that the number 3 4 of cotyledons 



in Tsuga is fairly constant, also the number 



9 11 in Cedrus is fairly constant, while in 



Larix the number varies from 47, in Abies 



from 5 8, in Picea from 3 11, and in 



Pinus from 5 18. 



The size of the cotyledons also varies in 



different genera and in species of the same 



genus. In Pinus pinea they are two inches 



long and somewhat stout, in P. canariensis 



they are as long but more slender, in P. 



Coulteri 1-5 inch long, P. muricata and P. 



Cembra 1 inch, Abies grandis 1 inch, Tliuia 



yigantea 1*5 inch, Cupressus sempervirens 0*75 



inch, Picea Glehnii 0'5 inch. 



The form of the cotyledons is nearly always 



linear or linear-oblong, the most notable excep- 



tion being Ginkgo. In the Cupressineae they 



are flat or with rounded surfaces, frequently with 



a median line on the upper side. In Abies and 



Picea they are flattened with rounded surfaces and with a distinct midrib 



in most of the species of the former ; either obtuse, emarginate or acute 

 * Vol. XXVII. p. 235. 



Fig. -2. Seedling plant of Pinu 



Fig. 3. Seedling plant of 



( 'u)>rrssus scmperrii'i'))*. 



