\ 



DEVELOPMENT OF EMBRYO SAC AND EMBRYO IN 



EUPHORBIA PRESLII AND E. SPLENDENS 



Wanda Weniger 



(with PLATES xiv-xvi) 



Introduction 



yathium of Euphorb 



staminate 



stamen 



assumpti 

 them the 



namelv. that the cvathium 



r\e pistillate flower and many staminate flowers. 



The earliest monograph of the Euphorbiaceae was that of 



Baillon (i), in 1858. He found that a character common 



family 



The 



becomes 



— 



the outer one of which usually disintegrates. The embryo is sur- 

 rounded by an oily endosperm and has a rudimentary root cap. 

 Baillon's figures, reproduced by Strasburger (20), show the 



and 



name 



mass 



grows 



determine 



pollen tube. The nucellus grows out into a beak before the time of 



fertilization and the cells of the obturator grow close to the nucellus. 



The obturator was called by Mirbel (9) a "chapeau de tissu 



" by Payer (15) a "capuchon," and by Capus (3 

 Myrsinites in particular, a "coussinet microp> 



71 



Poissox (16) describes the integuments and obturator of E. 



ovule 



Peplis. Pax's account (14) of the structure of the 



According: to him 



same 



-Miss Lyox (8) gives a full account of the life history of E 

 lata. There are 3 carpels in each pistillate flower, forming 



Botanical Gazette, vol. 63] 



[266 



