

COMPARATIVE HISTOLOGY OF FRUITS AND SEEDS 

 OF CERTAIN SPECIES OF CUCURBIT ACEAE 



Kate G. Barber 

 (WITH FIFTY-THREE figures) 



Introduction 



This investigation was undertaken with the view to supplementing 

 the work already done on the histology of the fruits and seeds of 

 Cucurbitaceae. The literature, although not meager, treats only of 

 the most conspicuous elements of the spermoderm, ignoring, with a 

 few exceptions, the less important tissues of the seed and the whole 

 of the pericarp. 



In the following paper are included additions to the histology of the 

 spermoderm and new descriptions of the pericarps of the common 

 pedes; also brief descriptions of six interesting seeds previously 

 undescribed. 



I wish to acknowledge my great indebtedness to Dr. A. L. V in- 

 ton, under whose guidance and inspiration this work was earned on, 

 and also to Professor A. W. Evans for advice in its preparation. 



Resume of the literature 



h 1833 Bischofi- published two cuts showing cross-sections o 

 the seed coats of Cucurbita Pepo and C. Lagenaria, which, according 

 to Fickev leave much to be desired with regard to detail. 



Von H6hnkl3 was the first to publish a detailed description ot tn 



d coats of the Cucurbitaceae, the species studied being Cunu n 



bO T. 1 n „***„-! 7 • C~~ ««#1 CuruWUR SdltVUS L, 



-eed 

 Pep 



A thorough in vest i 



genaria vulgaris Ser., and Cunimis sativus L. 



gh investigation of the integuments, from before te 1 1 



li °n of the flower until maturitv, led him to conclude that: 1; 

 ln *er integument (three to four layers thick) develops but Off ^ 

 becoming the collapsed, thin-walled inner parenchyma of tne . 



' Handbuch der bot. Terminologie und Systemkunde. jL 43- H s - z 72 ' ' 



_ * „ o — — •• 



teber die Anatomie und Entwickelungsgeschi 



"curMtaceen. Bot. Zeit. 34:738. 1876. Cucur hilaccen 



3 Morphologisi he tntersuchungen iiber die SamenscbakO « . NaW rw. 



nri ^iger verwandter Familien. Stab. Akad. Wiss. Wen, Mathen, ■ 

 73: - , 97- 1876. , 



263] [Botanical Gazette, vol. 47 





