BORAGINE.E 265 



elliptic or narrowly elliptic, minutely cuspidate, with a few alternate, 

 ascending nerves. 



Ultimate leaves narrowly lanceolate. 



By bleaching the cotyledons it may be seen that two pairs of 

 nerves arise in the petiole, the lower of which is short, but the next 

 pair follows the curve of the cotyledon at some distance from the 

 margin, and unites with a third pair arising below the middle of 

 the cotyledon, and describing a curve joins the midrib close to 

 the apical sinus. Smaller branches anastomose copiously with all 

 these. 



Stomata are numerous on the under side, fewer on the upper. 

 The epidermal cells are very wavy on the under side, but less so 

 above. 



The margin of the cotyledon and the base of the sinus especially 

 have large open pores. The thickened apex of the midrib shows a 

 few discoloured openings on the upper surface, but more numer- 

 ous and conspicuous below. They are rounder than the stomata, 

 and some of them at least are surrounded with four guard cells. 

 The emargination of the cotyledons takes place after germination, 

 and is due to the tissues on each side of the sinus growing more 

 rapidly than the portion bearing the water-gland and the water 

 stomata. 



Echium vulgare, L. 



Fruit breaking up into four (or fewer by abortion), one-celled, 

 one-seeded nutlets which are ovoid-subconical, slightly incurved 

 upwards, somewhat constricted above the horizontal attachment at 

 the base, and again above the part occupied by the cotyledons, 

 scabrid all over the surface or raised into little prominences, carinate 

 along the upper part of the dorsal aspect, and along the whole 

 length of the ventral suture, brown. 



Seed ovoid, subcompressed dorsally, and slightly curved, owing 

 to the curvature of the nutlet which it closely occupies ; testa thin, 

 membranous, yellowish ; hilum above the middle on the ventral 

 aspect ; raphe and chalaza consisting of nerves, radiating from the 

 hilum to the broad lower part of the seed ; micropyle and radicle 

 superior in the tip of the nutlet and some little distance above the 

 hilum. 



Endosperm absent. 



Embryo slightly incurved owing to the shape of the seed and 

 nutlet, large, and occupying the whole of the seed, yellowish ; coty- 

 ledons broadly oblong, short, obtuse, entire, plano-convex, closely 

 adpressed face to face ; radicle occupying the conical tip of the 



