XXIII. THE SEED AND SEEDLING OF THE 



WESTERN LARKSPUR (Delphinium 



occidentale Wats.). 



FRANCIS RAMALEY. 



The seeds of Delphinium occidentale vary in color from a 

 yellowish brown to a brownish black. The testa is somewhat 

 irregularly roughened but not pitted or rugose as in many 

 species of the genus, e. g., the official species, D. staphisagria. 

 The seeds are three angled with rounded sides and bluntly 

 pointed at the ends. The edges are either merely sharp angled 

 or else the angles project, forming conspicuous wings. (See 

 Fig. 4 and 5.) The seeds are anatropous as in other 

 Ranunculaceae. The vascular bundle extending from the 

 hilum is small, about 80 microns in diameter. It is situated in 

 the parenchyma of one of the angles. The cells of the bundle 

 are about 2 or 3 microns in diameter, in cross section. 



Endosperm. The body of the seed within the seed-coat con- 

 sists chiefly of endosperm, the embryo being very small. (See 

 Fig. 5 and 6.) In the endosperm, two distinct portions may 

 be recognized. The inner portion, an ellipsoidal mass, is rich 

 in oily matter. The outer portion contains some oil, but the 

 cubical or prismatic cells of which it is composed are chiefly 

 filled with proteid grains. There is no starch present in any 

 part of the seed. 



Embryo. The embryo, which exhibits slight differentiation, 

 is placed at the micropylar end of the seed. It is embedded in 

 the inner endosperm. The embryo is small, about 0.4 mm. 

 long or one-fifth the length of the entire seed. (See Fig. 5). 



Seed-coat. The testa consists of a large-celled epidermis 

 with a thick cuticle and of four or five layers of large-celled par- 

 enchyma. (See Fig. 14.) These cells have yellow or brownish 

 walls and contain only air. They are usually very much flat- 



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