SOLANACE.E 291 



siderably broader than the radicle. The radicle is generally 

 close to the hilum. Some abnormal forms occur in the Order 

 such as Nicandra and Jaborosa, as well as a few species and 

 varieties belonging to other genera in which the ovary is three- 

 to five-celled. 



The two cells of the ovary are subdivided by the develop- 

 ment of spurious septa in Datura, Solandra, and Grabowskia. 

 The ovules are few in the last named genus and solitary in each 

 cell of Sclerophylax, the latter being very anomalous in other re- 

 spects, including the one- to two-seeded indehiscent fruit. The 

 fleshy fruit of Grabowskia contains four woody pieces, each 

 with one or two seeds. The capsules of Hyoscyamus, Sco- 

 polia and Physochlaina dehisce by an operculum. The fruits 

 of some species of Oestrum, Lycium and Eetzia are baccate 

 and contain but few seeds or sometimes only one. 



Two leading types of embryo are met with in the Order, 

 namely, the subperipherical and more or less curved form, 

 and a nearly straight flat embryo. A very common type is 

 that represented by Datura Stramonium which has a terete 

 embryo surrounding the periphery, but slightly within the 

 endosperm of the flattened and reniform-orbicuJar seed. The 

 semiterete cotyledons lie in the narrow plane of the seed 

 which has a crustaceous testa. The hilum is situated in a 

 deep cavity at the base of the seed. A transverse section 

 shows the radicle and the cotyledons, the latter being cut 

 through once or twice. A similar section of Solanum Dul- 

 camara often shows the radicle cut through twice, and the 

 short cotyledons only once. S. capsicastrurn has an embryo 

 considerably less curved, and the reniform and much com- 

 pressed seed is girt by a woody mass on each edge. The 

 flattened and reniform seed of Datura Stramonium may be 

 compared with that of Barleria repens which has a large 

 embryo with flattened orbicular cotyledons. The seed of the 

 latter is orbicular, exalbuminous, and belongs to the Acan- 

 thaceae. The seed of Nicotiana rustica is subreniform, and 

 contains an embryo much less curved and forming only a 

 semicircle. 



The seed of Oestrum fasciculatum is amphitropous and 

 dorsally much compressed. It contains a nearly straight 



