STRUCTURE, MORPHOLOGY, AND PHYSIOLOGY. 25 



is parallel to that of the scutellum ; they can therefore 

 be seen only in tangential (Fig. 6, F] and not in radial 

 section (Fig. 6, G) of the seed. In germination, each root- 

 let independently breaks through the coleorhiza, which 

 surrounds each with a small sheath. Before the roots 

 break through, the elongating coleorhiza ruptures the 



FIG. 7. A, A cell in the albumen of Zea Mays filled with polyhedral starch-grains, 

 between which are thin plates of dried, finely-grained protoplasm, a-g, Starch- 

 grains from the amylaceous tissue of germinating maize seed. B, Starch-grains 

 (lenticular) from the amylaceous tissue of a germinating seed of Triticum vul- 

 gare ; the first action of the dissolving ferment shows itself in the distinct 

 lamination (X 800). (After Sachs.) 



pericarp and sends numerous hairs from its epidermis, 

 thus fastening the somewhat superficially placed seed to 

 the ground. The embryo is rich in oils and proteids 

 and even sugar, but contains no starch. The albumen 

 consists of large, polygonal, parenchymatic cells which, 

 with the exception of the outer layer, are rich in starch- 



