VAILLANTIA HISPIDA 11 
thus formed does not, however, have the specialized character 
which has been found to be so common in the Gamopetalae. It is 
not cutinized, and, as will be seen, breaks down very readily under 
the action of the developing embryo-sac. 
Meanwhile the archesporial cells are EE considerable 
changes which will now be described. 
At the time of rapid elongation of the nucellus, the arche- 
sporial cells, too, increase in length. This is accompanied by a 
good deal of change in the appearance of their cytoplasm and 
nuclei. The cytoplasm which at first and for some time is granu- 
lar, becomes more and more fibrous in appearance. The fibers run 
approximately lengthwise. The granular character is still visible, 
but the stringiness becomes more marked as the cells themselves 
elongate (Pl. 1, Figs. 3-8). When they reach their maximum 
length they are spindle-shaped and appear to run under and above 
each other in a most perplexing fashion. Their separating mem- 
branes become less and less distinct, until they cannot be made 
out, and 1 believe them to be almost, if not entirely, absorbed. 
The nuclei, too, rapidly increase in size, while the chromatin, 
granular at first, runs through various changes, unnecessary to 
describe here, which are preparatory to mitosis. 
It should be pointed out here that the nucellar tissue next to 
the archesporial tissue on its inner side is made up of cells which 
lengthen much more than those of the rest of the nucellus (Pl. 1, 
Fig. 5). The innermost of these are, indeed, as a usual thing, as 
long as the archesporial cells and appear to partake to a great 
degree of their characters. That the nucellar cells next to the 
archesporial cells may approach the latter in character has been 
noted by Coulter (l.c.) in Ranunculus. They may without doubt 
be regarded as underdeveloped sporogenous cells, which in this 
case disintegrate, while their substance probably contributes to 
the growth of the archesporium. 
When the archesporial cells as above mentioned have reached 
layer he proposed the term endothelium, a term which is evidently inappropriate. 
Schwere's figures as to this detail are very unsatisfactory and unconvincing, while it is 
quite evident from Hegelmaier's drawings that the layer to which he gave the name 
endodermis is in reality what he thought it to be. This layer is, moreover, an inner 
layer, so that epithelium, the term یز‎ by Mlle. Goldfius, seems to me a less appro- 
priate term, because more gen 
