296 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



which by their increas- 

 ing separation form a 

 polygonal opening of as 

 many sides as there were 

 carpels. Through this es- 

 cape the numerous cam- 

 pylotropous seeds (tigs. 

 323,324,328,329), which 

 contain within their coats 

 an arcuate fleshy exal- 

 buminous embryo. 1 



The floral symmetry j 

 the number and position 

 of the various parts of 

 the flower, the form of 

 the petals, disk, placenta, 

 and leaves, vary greatly 

 in this genus from species 

 to species, and even from 

 flower to flower on a 



Reseda luteola. 



1 The seeds of M. odorala, for 

 instance, are reniform, with the 

 superior extremity, corresponding 

 with the micropyle, hut a little more 

 acute. The micropyle is always 

 superior and next the placenta, 

 which has its cellular layer hyper- 

 trophied all round the insertion of 

 the seed to form a truly papillose 

 tissue, with very unequal pro- 

 minences. A little helow the micro- 

 pyle is seen the umbilical cicatrix, to 

 which a very short funicle adheres. 

 The outer coat of the seed is soft 

 and whitish, pretty thin over the 

 greater part of the seed ; hut all 



round the hilum, over a nearly Fig. 325. 



circular space corresponding with Habit (\). 



the notch of the kidney, and bounded 

 above by the minute hole of the 



micropyle, this envelope is hypertrophied, of a more opaque white, and fungoid, forming a true 

 umbilical aril. The second seed coat is thick, coloured, and crustaceous, with scattered unequal 

 rugosities outside, showing even through the outer coat, and more marked dorsally than elsewhere. 

 Next comes a thin soft whitish coat; and finally the thick fleshy oily embryo, resembling that 

 in the Crueiferm, bowed, with a superior conical radicle and thick plano-convex cotyledons, touching 

 by their flat surfaces, and recurved towards the incumbent radicle, so that their organic apex is near 

 the insertion of the seed. 



