1899] BRIEFER ARTICLES 63 
the same time in the botanical garden at Washington, D.C. It is 
strange that the Lauraceze have been almost entirely passed by in works 
dealing with seedlings, none having been 
recorded either by Klebs (/. ¢.) or Sir John 
Lubbock (/. ¢.). Schacht‘ appears to be 
the only author who has given us some 
information about them; he states that the 
seed of Persea gratissima germinates while 
the fruit is still attached to the tree. This 
author observed, also, that in this species 
of Persea the plumule attains a very early 
development with a number of leaves, 
similar to Juglans and Tropzolum. Hay- 
* é 
ing detected a few other peculiarities con eee | areas 
nected with the germination of Persea, and 
having been unable to find any figure of 
this, I take this opportunity to publish 
and illustrate my observations, together 
with the still more remarkable case of 
germination just described. 
In Persea gratissima there is no endo- 
‘perm, and the large cotyledons remain 
enclosed by the seed-coat. No hypocotyl 
develops during the germination, but the 
plumule §tOws out very soon as a shoot 
with several leaves, while the primary root 
at the same time has attained a considerable 
strong lateral roots arranged in whorls of 
tata to five or more. In the accom- 
? ying drawing ( Jig. 4) the plumule has 
dey. : 
Pe aS a single shoot, and it is very 
8€ to notice that t 
leaves, 7 he very first four 
imitating 
On the ot 
Fic. 4.—Seedling of Persea 
gratissima Gartn., natural size. 
