Pa a a ae 
xl. THE SEED AND SEEDLING OF THE 
WESTERN LARKSPUR (Delphinium 
occidentale Wats.). 
FRANCIS RAMALEY. 
The seeds of Delphinium occidentale vary in color from a 
yellowish brown to a brownish black. The testa is somewhat 
irregularly roughened but not pitted or rugose as in many 
species of the genus, e. g., the official species, D. staphisagria. 
The seeds are three angled with rounded sides and bluntly 
pointed at the ends. The edges are either merely sharp angled 
or else the angles project, forming conspicuous wings. (See 
Fig. 4 and 5.) The seeds are anatropous as in other 
Ranunculacee. The vascular bundle extending from the 
hilum is small, about 80 microns in diameter. It is situated in 
the parenchyma of one of the angles. The cells of the bundle 
are about 2 or 3 microns in diameter, in cross section. 
Endosperm.—The body of the seed within the seed-coat con- 
sists chiefly of endosperm, the embryo being very small. (See 
Fig. 5 and 6.) Inthe endosperm, two distinct portions may 
be recognized. The inner portion, an ellipsoidal mass, is rich 
in oily matter. The outer portion contains some oil, but the 
cubical or prismatic cells of which it is composed are chiefly 
filled with proteid grains. There is no starch present in any 
part of the seed. 
Embryo.—The embryo, which exhibits slight differentiation, 
is placed at the micropylar end of the seed. It is embedded in 
the inner endosperm. The embryo is small, about 0.4 mm. 
long or one-fifth the length of the entire seed. (See Fig. 5). 
Seed-coat.—The testa consists of a large-celled epidermis 
with a thick cuticle and of four or five layers of large-celled par- 
enchyma. (See Fig.14.) These cells have yellow or brownish 
walls and contain only air. They are usually very much flat- 
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