108 



THE OVULES. 



often wide spaces covering large portiona of ihe walls of the cell, as in poppy, 

 water-lily, and in other cases, as Datura, they become large and fleshy, nearly fill- 

 ing the cell. 



528. A FREE AXiLE PLACEKTA, without dissepiments, occurs in some 

 compound, one-celled ovaries, as in the pink and primrose orders. This 

 anomaly is explained in two ways : first, by the obliteration of the early 

 formed dissepiments, as is actually seen to occur in the pinks ; secondly, 

 by supposing the placenta to be, at least in some cases, an axial rather 

 than a marginal growth ; that is, to grow from the point of the axis 

 rather than from the margin of the carpellary leaf, for in primrose no 

 dissepiments ever appear. 



404 898 405 



598. Samolus Valorandi, section of flower showing the free axilo placenta, 399, Ovary of 

 Scrophulariaceaj. 400, Ovary of Tulip. 401, Cross-section of ovary of Flax, 5-celled, falsely 

 lO-ccUed. 403, Ovary of Violet, 1-celled. 403, Ovary of Fuchsia, 4-celled. 404, Ovary of rock- 

 rose, 1-celled, 5-carpelled. 405 Gentianacese, 2-valved, l-celled. 



529. A FEW PEonLlAR FORMS of the style and stigma are worthy of note in our 

 narrow limits, as the lateral style of strawberry, the basilar style of the Labiatae 

 and Borrageworts, the branching style of Bmblica, one of the Euphorbiacese ; also, 



530. The globular stigma of Mirabilis; the linear stigma of Gyromia; the 

 feathery stigma of grasses ; the filiform stigma of Indian com ; the lateral stigma 

 of Aster; the petaloid stigmas of Iris; the hooded stigma of violet (371 — 3T9). 



531. Stigma wanting. In the pine, cedar, and the Conifers generally, both the 

 style and stigma are wanting, and the ovary is represented only by a flat; open, 

 carpellary scale bearing the naked ovules at its base. 



THE OVULES. 



532. Their nature. Destined to become seeds in the fruit ovules 

 are understood to be altered buds. Their development from the mar- 

 gins and inner surface of the carpel favors this view ; for the ordinary 

 leaves of Bryophyllum and some other plants do habitually produce 

 buds at their margin or on their upper surface ; and in the mignonette 

 ovules themselves have been seen transformed into leaves. 



