ORGANS OF REPRODUCTION. 113 



vessels of the style, till they arrived at the seed organ ; 

 and in the same way, it is inferred, the granules or 

 their fluids are conveyed thither for the purposes of 

 fecundation. 



Fecundation in the Sunflower of the Nile: a, a, walls of the 

 seed organ ; b, b, walls of the pistil, c, c, summit covered with 

 grains of pollen ; d, conducting tissue of the centre of the pistil ? 

 e, e, filaments from this tissue running to the nascent seeds ;/, base 

 of one of the walls of the verge ; g, g, numerous nascent seeds 

 placed perpendicularly on the verge. 



The seed-organ is always placed at the base of 

 the pistil, containing the seeds either nascent l , or 

 advanced to maturity-, and bearing so strong a re- 

 semblance, both in structure and functions, to the egg 

 organ of birds and insects, that the membranes and 



(1) In Latin, Ovula. 

 (2) In Latin, Semina, or by modern writers, Ova. 



