496 ON SEEDLINGS 



ovary of one, two, or three free carpels, each one-celled, one-ovuled ; 



ovule pendulous, anatropous ; radicle superior. 



Fruit an achene, enclosed in the ovoid, tetragonal receptacle, 



ovoid, coriaceous and somewhat fibrous, glabrous, pale brownish, 



one-celled, one-seeded, indehiscent, closely conforming to the interior 

 of the receptacle both when solitary 

 and when two or three achenes are 

 present. 



Seed obovoid, suspended from the 

 apex of the achene to the interior of 

 which it closely conforms, pale straw- 

 coloured, except at the chalaza which 

 is pale brown ; testa thin, mem- 

 branous ; tegmen thinner, paler, al- 

 most white ; hilum and micropyle 



FIO. aao.-Poterium Bangui- basal, superior ; raphe ventral ; chalaza 



sorba. Longitudinal section of apical. 



Side 9 ; V a e ; ffiJS! Endosperm absent. 



tacie ; ch, chalaza. Embryo straight, comparatively 



large, obovoid, colourless, conforming 



in shape to the seed ; cotyledons rotund-obovate, plano-convex, 

 retuse, minutely emarginate, cordate or shortly auricled at the base, 

 fleshy in the seed ; auricles closely adpressed to the radicle, and pro- 

 duced to fill up the space in the seed caused by the cotyledons 

 terminating rather abruptly at the base ; radicle turbinate, obtuse, 

 stout, protruded into the narrow conical base of the seed and ex- 

 tending about two-thirds its length beyond the cotyledons. 



Seedling (fig. 321). 



Primary root slender, tapering, furnished with lateral fibres. 



Hypocotyl erect, terete, glabrous, or with a few papillose hairs, 

 colourless or stained red, passing insensibly into the root, about 

 7 mm. long. 



Cotyledons broadly oval, obtuse, minutely emarginate, deeply 

 cordate at the base, faintly striate with numerous nerves arising 

 from the indistinct midrib, glabrous, subfleshy, deep green ; lamina 

 5-25-5*5 mm. long, 4-4 '75 mm. wide ; petiole subterete, channelled 

 above, hairy, perfoliate at the base, 6'5-7'5 mm. long. 



Stem herbaceous, the persistent portion very short ; primary 

 internodes undeveloped. 



Leaves compound, radical and cauline, alternate, stipulate, petio- 

 late, glabrous or minutely pubescent beneath, deep glaucous- green ; 

 petioles semiterete. channelled above, dilated and clasping at the 



