STORAGE OF FOOD IN THE SEED 21 
27. Other Constituents of Seeds. — Besides the substances 
above suggested, others occur in different seeds. Some of 
these are of use in feeding the seedling, others are of value 
in protecting the seed itself from being eaten by animals 
or in rendering it less liable to decay. In such seeds as 
that of the nutmeg, the essential oil which gives it its char- 
acteristic flavor probably makes it unpalatable to animals 
and at the same time preserves it from decay. 
Date seeds are so hard and tough that they cannot be 
eaten and do not readily decay. Lemon, orange, horse- 
chestnut, and buckeye seeds are too bitter to be eaten, 
and the seeds of the apple, cherry, peach, and plum are 
somewhat bitter. 
The seeds of larkspur, thorn-apple,! croton, the castor- 
oil plant, nux vomica, and many other kinds of plants 
contain active poisons. 
1 Datura, commonly called ‘“‘ Jimson weed.” 
