58 



STUDIES IN SEEDS AND FRUITS 



Permeable 

 and imper- 

 meable seeds 

 Bmmonly 

 Kind in the 

 Hme species. 



Trifolium^ Ficia, etc. As a rule between 50 and 100 seeds 

 of each species were experimented on, and the percentage 

 of permeable seeds is recorded in a special table. 



On tabulating the results given by Dr Gola for the 

 Leguminoss and Cistaceae in the manner shown below, I 

 was surprised to learn how common it was to find permeable 

 and impermeable seeds in the same species. 



Tabulation of the Results for the Leguminos^ and Cistace^ 

 GIVEN Bv Dr Gola in his Table showing the Percentage of 

 Permeable Seeds in the same Species. 



We see here that 78 per cent, of the species of Leguminoss 

 possessed both permeable and impermeable seeds, those with 

 all seeds impermeable or with all seeds permeable amounting 

 to 7 and 15 per cent, respectively. The proportions of each 

 kind of seed in a species were in most cases fairly constant, 

 the results for two different samples being as a rule not far 

 apart. Within the limits of a genus the species exhibited 

 great contrasts in their proportions of permeable and im- 

 permeable seeds. Almost all the leguminous genera that 

 are best represented in Dr Gola's table show variations 

 ranging between the two extremes : {a) of species with all 

 seeds permeable, and (1^) of species with all or nearly all seeds 

 impermeable, none containing exclusively species possessing 

 one type of seed. Not one of the leguminous genera which 

 are here represented by ten or more species could be designated 

 as exclusively characterised by permeable or impermeable seeds. 



