STRUCrURE AND PARTS OF THE OVULE 79 



the real base becomes, l)y extreme oblicjiiity, ai)i)arently lateral and 

 causes an erect ovule to be ai)i)arently ascending. That of Anemone 

 is suspended, but owing to the same condition a|)])arently only jjcndu- 

 lous. The terms erect and suspended are after all only relative, as we 

 can ne\'er be sure that an ()\iile wliich a])pears in sucli i)osition is really 

 the uppermost or lowermost of its series. \'(ry often others which 

 would have been in reality the basal or apical lia\e become aborted, 

 as in the last case illustrated. 



A merely recurved ovule is not to be mistaken for an anatropous 

 ovule. The latter, as will now be explained, has the contiguous portion 

 of the funicle adherent as a raphe, which comes away with the seed 

 at maturit\'. 



Fig. 233. Erect ovule of Symmeria. 234. Horizontal ovule of Paullinia. 235. Pendulous ovule of 

 Guaiacum. 236. Resupinate ovule of Euonymus. 237. Suspended ovule of Drymicarpus. 238. As- 

 cending ovule of Euonymus. 239. Pendulous ovules. 240. Recurved pendulous ovule of Drunnichia. 



Structure and Parts of the Ovule.— The recognized varieties of ovules 

 are based upon cxtenial structure, which will here be briefly considered. 

 The details of their inner structure will be considered in our cliajjter on 

 Fertilization. 



Body and /'/////Vv////.v.- The ovule consists of a Body (Fig. iMO, a) 

 and a Funiculus or Stem (h). Named in the order of time in which they 

 are develoi)ed, the i)arts of the body are as follows: 



Xucelln.s and Coals. — The Nucelius, or central i)ortion (Figs. 241 to 

 244, /(), containing the parts essential to reproduction, and two coats, 

 the Primine or inner (/,•) and Secundine or outer (.v). Certain i)arts of 

 these, or jjoints upon them, also have distinctive names. 



The Mirropiile. — The more or less circular opening (///) left at the 

 apex by the failure of the coats to comi)lctcIy inclose the nucclhis is 

 the I'^oraincii. 



