258 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



short style with two branches, the stigmatiferous extremities of which 

 expand to a small head, and the two ovarian cells, one anterior, the 

 other posterior, contain each, inserted near the base of the internal 

 angle, an ascending, nearly erect, anatropoQS ovule, with micropyle 



Etibia tvictorum. 



Fis-. 225. Diasrram. 



Fig. 226. Long. sect, of flower. 



Fig. 224. Flower (j). 



directed downwards and outwards.^ The fruit, didymous or more 

 generally reduced to a single carpel (fig. 227-229), is fleshy, with 

 pericarp of little thickness, and encloses one or two seeds, convex 



Rubia tinctorum. 



Fig. 227. Long. sect, of 

 dicoccous fi-uit (f). 



Fig. 230. 

 Seed (f). 



Fig. 228. Mono- 

 spermous fruit. 



Fig. 229. Long. 



sect, of monospermous 



fruit. 



externally, concave internally, where the wide hilum is united to the 

 pericarp by a short thick funicle occupying the cavity. The seeds 

 have a thick homy ^ albumen, surrounding a curved embryo with 

 inferior conical radicle and foliaceous cotyledons directed upwards. 

 Rubia tinctorum is a perennial herb, with a thick stem, sending out 



323). According to the same author there are 

 8 to 12 in different species of Galium, Asperula 

 and Crucianella. 



1 The petals should he connected hy a line in 

 this diagram of a flower exceptionally tetra- 

 merous, like that of Galium. 



2 This micropyle is most frequently indicated, 

 in this and many other genera, only hy a slight 

 indentation ; so that in this case the ovules 



have not a true coat; at least in comparison 

 with other types where it is somewhat more 

 developed, it is admitted to exist but reduced 

 to an extremely short cushion. 



3 Without affirming that the cushion called 

 tegument of the seed is produced hy a change 

 in superficial tissues, hut that it cannot result 

 from the transformation of an ovular envelope 

 which never existed at this point. 



