382 



STUDIES IN SEEDS AND FRUITS 



Table illustrating the Stages in the Blackening and Black 

 Mottling of Leguminous Seeds. 



The brown 

 colour of 

 seeds 



On account of its predominance as the colour of seeds, 

 brown deserves especial attention. As in the case of black, the 

 indications by no means lend themselves to an easy interpre- 

 tation. The brown coloration of resting seeds, which may 

 vary in shade from a pale hue, as in Mahogany seeds, to a 

 blackish brown, as in old seeds of Entada scandens^ seems to be 

 usually developed in seeds that were white in the soft, moist, 

 unripe condition. That the browning process, whether in the 

 leguminous pod or in the capsule or in the berry, is usually com- 

 pleted before the seeds are exposed to the air has been already 

 established in this and in previous chapters. In all cases it is 



