NOTES ON DIPTEROCARPS. 289 
pus maximus the Si eek cotyledon occupies the basal part of the 
cavity of the fruit and the outer cotyledon the apical; and they are 
of nearly equal bulk: in Vatica Wallichu, they are Alea of nearly 
equal bulk and they share the fruit-cavity equally, but side by side 
instead of as in Balanocarpus the one above the other: but in 
Vatica Ridleyana with inequality, the placentar cotyledon occuples 
the basal and shares the apical part. 
There is enwraping neither in Vatica Ridleyana nor in Vatica 
Wallichii; and the cells in both are gorged with starch. The young 
plant after emergence is singularly similar in the two, the leaves are 
exactly alike, even to the 6-8 large glands upon the lower surface 
at the looping of the veins, urromnded by the frichest green, of 
chlorophyll. Unlike the fruits of Vatica Wallichti, the fruits of 
Vatica Iidleyana do not float in water, not even if dried. 
In germination the fibrous fruit-wall sphts from the apex 
downwards along pre-determined lines, possibly along one line to its 
base and for a short w way only along others: the radicle is thrust 
out by the elongation of the petioles of the cotyledons, as in Vatica 
Wallichii, Shorea robusta, the genus Dipterocaryus. The blades 
of the cotyledonsnever leave the ‘fruit-cavity, but develop a little,— 
very little—chlorophvll where they become exposed to the light. 
The lines where the fruit-wall is split in germination. can be 
seen beforehand upon the outer side of the fruit, as they are 
depressed and free from the elsewhere abundant lenticels. The 
fruit-wall is thinner at them and the cell-structure differs. 
These lines are usually three, but may be four and may be 
five in number. In studying the flower when it was available in 
January, 1921, (see this Journal p. 276), five-locular ovaries were 
not observed; but as their presence was not suspected, no search 
was made for them: it was only when, twelve months later, the 
fruit was ripe that their existence was suggested by finding five 
lines of splitting in a small percentage of the fruits. 
Out of 263 fruits, 201 had three lines, 57 had four lines, and 
5 had five lines. 
It is most interesting that when the fruit shows four depressed 
lines upon the outside, three only as a rule are burst open, so that 
out of 17 fruits with four lines, set to germinate together, 15 were 
split along three and 2 only along four lines. Of the first fifteen 
in 13 the line which was not split. was that close to the placenta. 
Four fruits with five depressed lines, set to germinate at the 
same time lhkewise became split along tliree only ‘of the lines, and 
again a line not split was that closest to the placenta. 
That these lines are the places where the carpels are connate 
into the ovary admits of doubt because in fruits with four lines, the 
placenta is rarely central upon any one of the valves. The develop- 
ment must be followed out to demonstrate that it is as one would 
expect. The fruit-wall is composed of brown parenchymatous cells, 
white sclerenchyma fibres and a margin of cork with numerous 
powdery lenticels. 
R. A. Soc., No. i86 1922. 
