82 VEGETABLE ORGANOGRAPHY. 



with are those of the Pandanus odoratissimus,^ of which I 

 have given a figure. We here remark that the Spongiole 

 is, as it were, surrounded by the remains of an epidermis, 

 which it appears to have broken by its elongation : these 

 remains afterwards fall off, without leaving any trace upon 

 the body of the root, and represent a kind of broken coleo- 

 rhiza. The hood which terminates the root of Lemna 

 seems to be a kind of coleorhiza, which, instead of 

 breaking at its apex for the purpose of letting the spongiole 

 pass through, breaks at its base, and covers it as the 

 operculum of Mosses covers their theca. We find some- 

 thing analogous to this in all roots which grow in water. 



2d. The Pistillary Spongioles, (spongiolce pistil- 

 lares ; spongioles pisfillaires) are the points of the 

 female organ which absorb the fecundating liquor, in the 

 same manner as the extremities of the roots absorb 

 water ; they are commonly placed at its extremity, and 

 form the principal part of the stigma : when we dissect 

 this, we only perceive a cellular tissue, which seems 

 to offer nothing particular in its structure. We shall 

 return to these when we speak of the Organs of Fe- 

 cundation. 



3d. The Seminal Spongioles, (spongiolcB seminales ; 

 spongioles seminales) which are placed upon the surface 

 of the seed, and through which the moisture penetrates, 

 which makes it grow. We shall see, in fact, when we 

 treat upon Germination, that these spongioles appear, 

 in each class of seeds, to be placed with some regularity, 

 and that they enjoy all the properties of the other kinds 

 of spongioles. 



The Radical, Pistillary, and Seminal Spongioles, have 

 the following remarkable properties in common : — 



1st. That these organs are the places where the cellu- 



* See tlie chapter on Roots. 



