THE STORY OF THE GINKGO 



motile male sperm from the pollen and an egg cell 

 in the female flower. Their union consummates fe- 

 cundation. The development of the embryo takes 

 place early in November when the seed is full 

 grown, yellow in colour, and ready to fall. Often, 

 indeed, the development of the embryo does not 

 take place until the seed has actually fallen to the 

 ground. If you ask why this essential is so long 

 delayed no answer is forthcoming. Two or three 

 embryos are sometimes developed in one seed. The 

 seeds germinate in the following spring and the 

 manner is very like that of the Oak, the thick, fleshy 

 cotyledons (seed leaves) with their food stores for the 

 developing young plant remain under or on the 

 ground; the primary leaf scales are 3-seriate. 



But we are getting ahead of our story for we have 

 omitted to describe the plum-like fruit which, as 

 stated before, is not a true fruit but is a naked seed. 

 It is round, bright orange-yellow, about an inch in 

 diameter, and consists of a thin, outer fleshy layer, 

 like a plum, covering a pointed oval nut from one 

 half to three quarters of an inch long, keeled length- 

 wise on both sides and having a smooth, fragile 

 white shell enclosing a soft kernel. On or soon 

 after falling to the ground the fleshy covering splits 

 and emits a most offensive, nay, abominable, odour. 

 If the ripe seeds are handled or touch one's clothing 

 7* 



