BIGXOXIACE^E 333 



is transverse to the longitudinal axis of the fruit, and inserted 

 on either margin of the septa in one or many series or scattered 

 over the septa or drawn-out placentas. It is more or less 

 compressed vertically, often flat, and often girt with a hyaline, 

 rarely opaque wing which is broad, narrow or interrupted in 

 many cases at the base and apex. The testa in the centre of 

 the wing is membranous or leathery, sometimes thickened, 

 and at the apical end of the seed or at the chalaza it is 

 intruded or pushed into the cavity of the seed, sometimes 

 almost dividing it into two cells, thus accounting for the very 

 prevalent bifid character of the cotyledons. Endosperm is 

 wanting. The embryo is flattened or rarely thickened, with 

 flat or rarely folded, bifid, emarginate or rarely entire coty- 

 ledons, which are often broader than long. The radicle is 

 always short, often very short, and horizontal. Some excep- 

 tions occur in the Order, as in Eccremocarpus and in the 

 Crescentiese where the ovary is one-celled with two parietal 

 placentas. The fruit is often abnormal in various ways in 

 the tribes Jacarandese and Crescentieae, and is subfollicular in 

 Amphicome and Incarvillea. The seed is furrowed or the 

 testa partly invaginated in species of Stereospermum, and 

 perfectly intruded between the cotyledons in Kigelia. The 

 seeds are few and thick in Argylia. 



All the seeds noticed are much flattened and winged ; they 

 may be divided into those which have the wing continuous 

 round the apex of the seed, and those in which it is absent at 

 the base and apex. Dolichandrone Cauda-felina is the only 

 typical instance of the latter observed. The seed is oblate, 

 perfectly straight at the base and apex, while the testa is 

 produced into a wing at either side, and obliquely trun- 

 cate at the two ends. The portion of the seed containing 

 the embryo occupies the whole of the centre. This peculiar 

 form of the seed is due to that of the fruit which is a long, 

 narrow pod with the seed occupying the whole width of 

 the cavity. The embryo is large, nearly as wide as the 

 seed, and is oblate, with the cotyledons deeply emarginate 

 or shallowly bifid at the apex. The lobes are rounded in 

 conformity with the seed, and the extremely short radicle 

 occupies a shallow basal notch. The latter is due to the 



