CH. VIII, 2] MORPHOLOGY OF SEEDS 375 



of the niiff]1" hy +*** gnrln^pprTn) all of the space within the 

 ^seed coats.. Such are the albuminous seeds, in the germi- 



nation of which the embryo absorbs the 

 ""endosperm through its cotyledons. I 



the ex-albuminous seeds, 



absorption of the endosperm occurs 



before germination, and this is the mean- 



ing of the difference between the two 



kinds. It is in correlation with this 



further stage of development that ex- 



albuminous seeds have so often a FIG. 269. Grain of 



plumule, while albuminous kinds have Corn ' in longitudinal 



section; X 3. 



only the undeveloped foundation of a At the right is the 



foud embryo, showing plu- 



m'i - j c 4.1, ' mule ' P rimar y root 



Third of the parts are the SEED COATS, and hypocotyi. in the 

 Oftenest there is but one, which is thick, Jf. tter can . be seen the 



' fibro-vascular system 

 hard, and WOOdy, and has the obviOUS extending into the large 



function of protecting the embryo against SCUTELLUM, which 



. . . . ;. forms a haustorial or- 



mjury during the period of dissemma- ga n for absorbing the 

 tion. Sometimes there is also an inner endosperm, ew (looser 



texture) and eg (more 

 COat, then usually compact texture). It 



membranaceous, and is doubtful whether the 



7 cotyledonisrepresented 



less olten an addi- by the scuteiium, by 

 tional outer coat, the sheath leaf of the 



plumule, or by both to- 

 Called an AEIL, which gether. (From Sachs.) 



is generally loose 

 from the others and has obvious con- 

 nection with dissemination, as in cases 

 earlier mentioned, i.e. the Yew berries 

 FIG. 270. Albumi- (page 351) and the Water-lily seeds 



nous seed, of Castor ( 3^ Th structural 



Bean, in section ; X 2. 



The embryo lies em- connection, not yet fully understood, 



betw6en theSe ar | ls and the . little insi - 



nificant and seemingly f unctionless swell- 

 ing called the STROPHIOLE, occurring near the hilum in 

 some seeds, and the much larger CARUNCLE (Fig. 270), an 



