202 ON SEEDLINGS 



shining, crustaceous, and brittle ; hilum on the ventral aspect, very 

 large, oblong or elliptic, narrowed to an acute point at the lower end, 

 but always broader and rounded at the upper end, and nearly or 

 quite equalling the length of the seed ; raphe ventral ; radicle and 

 micropyle inferior ; chalaza subapical on the ventral aspect. 



Endosperm absent. 



Embryo straight, large, entirely filling the interior of the seed 

 and conforming to its shape when mature, or loose and free by 

 shrinking; cotyledons very thick, fleshy, plano-convex, applied 

 to each other face to face and (in old seeds at least) inseparable, 

 each occupying half the space in the seed, of variable outline like 

 the seed, but always broadest at their bases, which rest on the lower 

 end of the seed ; radicle very slightly protruded from between their 

 bases, short, stout. 



Seedling. 



Hypocotyl undeveloped. 



Cotyledons thick, fleshy, subterranean. 



Stem erect, woody, hairy. 



Leaves slightly coriaceous, persistent, covered with rusty hairs 

 when young. 



Nos. 1-3 or 4. Alternate, small, scale-like, caducous, linear- 

 subulate, stipulate ; stipules more persistent than the leaves. 



Nos. 4-6. Much larger, foliaceous, elliptic, penninerved with 

 incurved nerves, glabrous, with short hairy petioles channelled 

 above. Stipules very hairy, protecting the sides of the bud. 



EBENACE.E. 



Benth. et Hook. Gen. PI. ii. 662. 



Fruit and Seed. The ovary is superior, sessile or rarely 

 stipitate, consisting of two to eight carpels uniting to form 

 as many cells, or twice the number by development of 

 spurious and perfect or imperfect septa. The ovules are 

 geminate in each, or twice the number of the carpels ; but 

 when false dissepiments are present the ovules are solitary in 

 each cell ; in all cases they are inserted upon axile placentas, 

 pendulous and anatropous. The pericarp is coriaceous or 

 fleshy and indehiscent, rarely dehiscent, and the fruit often 



