Meycn's Report for 1839 on Physiological Botany. 427 



Scrophularia nodosa, aquatica, betoniccefolia, peregrina, and 

 vernalis ; he first gives his observations on the formation 

 of the placenta and of the ovulum, which agree with the 

 ideas at present held on the subject. Until the formation 

 of the integument the ovulum is straight, but it afterwards 

 becomes bent. In Scro. betoniccefolia M. Wydler remarked 

 that the nucleus as it protruded from its integument be- 

 came hollow, and the cavity became covered with a mem- 

 brane which represented the embryo-sac ; but he could not 

 distinguish whether this membrane was a new product, nor 

 whether the cavity of the nucleus extended as far as the point; 

 sometimes it could be distinctly seen that the end of the nu- 

 cleus was closed. The description of the development of the 

 stigma of the Scrophularinece is also very clear and accurate ; 

 he states that the conducting tissue of the style is nothing 

 more than the inner and modified epidermis of the involute 

 fruit-leaf. M. Wydler observed the fructification to take place 

 by means of a pollen-tube which entered into the micropyle ; 

 he also saw two or even four pollen-tubes enter at the same 

 time, and correctly derives the appearance of several embryos 

 from this circumstance, but adds that out of four young em- 

 bryos only one comes to maturity. In regard to the act of 

 fertilization, M. W. is evidently a follower of the new theory ; 

 but he admits that he has not been able to observe the action 

 of the pollen-tube when it enters into the ovulum ; but on 

 this the whole hypothesis depends. 



It seemed to M. W. that the embryo- sac was open at its 

 end and communicated by a straight canal with the micropyle, 

 for he often observed that the pollen-tube entered into the 

 embryo-sac without this latter being indented. In the action 

 of the seeds the presence of spiral fibres in the interior of the 

 cells was observed ; in a young state the cells contained grains 

 of fecula, which vanished as the seeds became ripe, and 

 here and there drops of oil made their appearance, and fibres 

 were formed on the inner walls of the cells. 



M. Wydler draws a number of conclusions from the above 

 observation, in which I not only do not agree, but against 

 which I can bring forward important facts. Concerning the 

 hypothesis that there are not two sexes in plants, and that the 

 anthers may be compared to the ovarium, we have spoken at full 

 in the former Report and elsewhere ; and M. W/s observations 

 on the changes which take place in the pollen-tube after its 

 entrance into the nucleus are so imperfect, that we can draw 

 no conclusion from them. M. Wydler has not been able to 

 distinguish the pollen-tube from the supensor of the embryo ; 

 he speaks of the formation of cells in the former, but he evi- 



