474 



BOTANY. 



part such that the veins rarely are parallel to each other, and 

 in their anastomosing they form an irregular net-work. 



The germination of Dicotyledons may be illustrated by a couple of 

 examples. In the seed of the Windsor Bean (Fig. 367) the embryo 

 entirely fills, up the seed-cavity, the endosperm having all been ab- 



FIGS. 367-8. GERMINATION OF DICOTYLEDONS. 



FIG. 368. 



Fig. 367. Vicia faba. A, seed with one cotyledon removed; c, remaining cotyle- 

 don ; kn, the plumule w, the radicle ; *% seed-coat. B. germinating seed ; , seed- 

 coat, partly torn away at 1; n, the hilum ; st, petiole of one of the cotyledons; k, 

 curved epicotyledonary stem ; he, short hypocotyledonary stem ; li. main root ; ws, 

 its apex ; kn, hud in the axil of one of the cotyledons. After Sachs. 



Fig. SSS.Jficinus communis. /., longitudinal section of the ripe seed. II., ger- 

 minating seed with the cotyledons still inside of the seed-coat (shown more distinct- 

 ly in A and B). e, seed-coat ; e, endosperm ; c, cotyledon ; he. hypocotyledonary 

 stem ; w, primary root ; w'. branches of root ; x, caruncle, a peculiar appendage to 

 the seeds of Euphorbiacew. After Sachs. 



sorbed. The thick cotyledons lie face to face, and are attached below 

 to the small stem of the embryo plant. The stem extends upward a 

 short distance between the cotyledons, bearing a few rudimentary 

 leaves and itself ending in a punctum vegetationis (Fig. 369, ss), the 

 whole constituting the plumule. The downward prolongation of the 

 stem (commonly but erroneously called the radicle, for it is not a little 



