36 



ANTHER. 



198. These four-celled anthers, as the plant increases 

 in age, either by tearing away of their partitions, or 

 else by a complete dissolution of them, become con- 

 verted into two or one- celled anthers. 



199. So universally does the fact seem to hold that 

 -p- g , the four- celled young anther should pass 



into a two-celled one, that it is probable 

 in many of those cases in which the anther 

 consists of four cells in the adult and ripe 

 state, it is in consequence of two filaments 

 being massed into one, and so bearing two 

 two-celled anthers upon it ; this seems to be 

 shown by Zannichellia, and likewise by the 

 curious Diplanthera of Du Petit Thouars, 

 in which there are two bilocular anthers 

 seated upon the same filament, but at unequal heights. 



200. Micheli has stated that there exist three- celled 

 anthers, but it is most probable, as Steinheil has sug- 

 gested, that here one cell has been wanting from 

 abortion. 



201. The cells of the anthers are united to each other 



Fig. 35. 



by a prolongation of the tissue of the 

 filament, called the connectivum (a) ; 

 sometimes this connectivum is known 

 to be prolonged beyond the apex of 

 the anthers, as at (#), etc. 



202. The place at which the an- 

 ther opens to emit its contents is 

 called its point or line of dehiscence. 



The dehiscence in most cases takes place by means 

 of an opening running from the base 

 to the apex of each cell, this is called 

 longitudinal dehiscence (a) ; some- 

 times it dehisces by pores, at others 

 by valves, as at (6), in an example 

 from Dr. Lindley. 



203. Within the cells of the 

 anther is contained the pollen, which 



consists of a great number of granules or pulvinuli, 



Fig. 36. 



