22 ORR—POLYEMBRYONY IN SARCOCOCCA RUSCIFOLIA, STAPF. 
is a matter for conjecture whether both of these embryos might 
not have developed, pari passu, into seedlings had the seed been 
allowed to germinate. Two such embryos are shown in fig. I. 
A further supply of seed was obtained from plants of the same 
species growing in the Royal Botanic Garden, and these were 
also found to be polyembryonate; in one case, as many as seven 
embryos, showing different degrees of development, being isolated 
by dissection from a single seed. 
The problem of the origin of these several embryos was not 
one which could be solved satisfactorily by an investigation of the 
material then available; but, by removing the endocarp, and em- 
bedding the seed in paraffin, it was possible to obtain a series of 
sections in which the relative positions of the embryos, and their 
relationship to the tissues within the seed, could be demonstrated. 
The anatomical features disclosed by these preparations can best 
be illustrated by reference to fig. 2, which is a camera lucida 
drawing of a longitudinal section through the micropylar region 
of a ripe seed. 
S 
Bare tanec 
= 
Fic. 2.—Longitudinal section through the micropylar region of a seed of Sarcococca 
ruscifolia, a,a, mature, and b,b, immatu bryos. x about Loo. 
In the upper half of the figure, there appear, in section, the 
radicle apices of two embryos similar to those represented in fig. 
1, while, in the lower, micropylar area, intermixed with the dis- 
organised tissue, there can be seen a number of distinct cell- 
masses which are the immature embryos referred to above. 
