246 ON SEEDLINGS 



HYDROPHYLLAGEJE. 



Benth. et Hook. Gen. PI. ii. 825. 



Fruit and Seed. The ovary is superior and s} T ncarpous, 

 consisting of two carpels united by their edges only, forming 

 a one-celled ovary with free or parietal placentas, or the 

 latter are protruded into the centre, and touching one an- 

 other form two spurious cells, or the septa cohere and form 

 two distinct cells with prominent axile placentas. The ovules 

 vary from two to many on each placenta and are anatro- 

 pous or amphitropous. The fruit is capsular, dehiscing along 

 the middle of each carpellary leaf with the valves bearing 

 the placentas along then: faces, or the placentas are erect 

 and parallel with the valves. It more rarely happens that 

 the fruit dehisces at the septa, or irregularly and separating 

 from the axile placentas. The seeds vary in number from 

 two to several, and are oblong, globose or angular. The testa 

 is tubercular or rugose, smooth in one genus, Conanthus, 

 with only one species. The endosperm is usually copious, 

 fleshy and sometimes ruminated, surrounding a small em- 

 bryo. The latter is straight with plano-convex or subterete 

 cotyledons ; the radicle is superior or points in various direc- 

 tions hi different species. 



The seeds of Nemophila parviflora are subglobose and 

 variously angled with a rugose testa. The copious endosperm 

 is ruminated. The embryo is small with orbicular cotyledons 

 much shorter than the terete radicle. N. maculata has much 

 larger, similarly angled seeds, ruminated endosperm, and a 

 correspondingly large embryo of the same shape as that of 

 N. parviflora. The seeds of Phacelia tanacetifolia are oblong, 

 obtusely trigonous, and rather small. The embryo is rather 

 elongated and slender, with linear cotyledons in the broader 

 plane of the seed or obliquely to it. The terete radicle is 

 rather elongated. 



Seedlings. The cotyledons of this Order are all of simple 

 types, but they show a considerable amount of variation in 



