NEW ORGAN IN SEEDS, £21 



that in all these seeds, in which the internal membrane 

 preserves the same direction as the outer integument, its 

 situation is always opposite to tlie point of the radicle : 

 that the umbilical cord, or rather that assemblage of the 

 nutritive vessels belonging to the coats of the seed and the 

 embryo, cannot admit into it the fertilizing vessels: that 

 the extent of these in the plant is and must be only from 

 the papillae of the stigmata to the embrj'o : that, after hav- 

 ing descended into the placenta, they join the nutritive 

 vessels, and then proceed with them, forming a single cord, 

 to he; point where the ovulum is attached: lastly, that 

 at this point there are two apertures^ and it appears pro- 

 bable, that the nutritive vessels pass through the umbilicus, 

 and the fertilizing vessels through the micropyle. 



Note. When I wrote the above paper, I did not know, GeofFiov oV 

 that the organ of which I was speaking had already been served this or 

 observed by Geoffroy, though it has not been mentioned by ^'*"' 

 the authors who succeeded him. 



Geoffroy's paper is inserted among those of the academy His account 

 of sciences for the year 1711, and is entitled. Observations ^^'*' 

 on the Structure and Use of the principal Parts of Flowers. 

 The author recognises the existence of the micropyle in all 

 «eeds, and ascribes to it the same functions as I have 

 done, but with so.me little difference. I conceive 1 cannot 

 do better, than describe the passage, in which this gentle- 

 man, after having attempted to show, that every grain of 

 the pollen might be a germe, destined to be introduced 

 into the ovulum, and there become a young plant, says, 

 p. 230. " Pursuing this conjecture, it is not difficult to as- 

 ** certain in what way the germe enters into the vesicles : 

 *• for, beside that the cavity of the pistil reaches from its 

 *' extremity to the embryoes of the seeds, these vesicles 

 ** have likewise a small aperture near the place where they 

 ** are attached, which is at the extremity of the canal of 

 ** the pistil ; so that the small particle of dust may natu- 

 " rally fall through this little aperture into the cavity of 

 ** this vesicle, which is the embryo of the seed. This ca- 

 ** vity, or kind of cicaticula, is sufficiently evident in most 

 *< seeds : it may be seen very easily, without the assistance 



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