CONTRIBUTIONS TO BOTANY. 
161 
axile, straight embryo, of its own length, its radicle being very 
long, slender, superior, and pointing to the hilum, with two very 
minute inferior cotyledons. This structure will be seen to be 
very different from that of Styracea. 
In Styrax, Cijrta, and Strigilia, the fruit, though also drupa- 
ceous, is, on the other hand, quite superior, and half enclosed 
within the loose, persistent, tubular or campanular calyx. In 
Strigilia, which comprises all the South American species of 
Styrax, beneath a fleshy mesocarp is a single putaminous endo- 
carp, polished on both sides ; this is thin, horny, or pergamineous 
in texture, almost translucent, unilocular, and monospermous, 
rarely two seeds being perfected within it ; this endocarp has 
three external grooves running from the base to the apex, which 
correspond with as many internal nervures formed of the three 
projecting parietal lines seen in the ovary, and each is beautifully 
marked by radiating interrupted purple lines proceeding from 
the nervures : on removing from this putamen its fleshy epi- 
carpial coating, it may be separated into three valves by as many 
longitudinal sutures alternating with the grooves. The seed 
contained within this putamen is erect ; the external tunic is 
hard, and marked by three longitudinal grooves caused by the 
pressure of the three parietal nervures of the endocarp : it is sup- 
ported upon a short irregularly triangular base (the remains of 
the central placenta), around w'hich may be seen twenty or thirty 
abortive ovules, proving, whatever be its nature or origin, that it 
is the external coating of the seed. This seminal tunic or shell 
is very osseous in texture ; in Strigilia it is thinner and some- 
what brittle, but in Styrax and Cyrta it is very thick and hard, 
and is everywhere polished except over its large basal hilum ; 
upon this hilum, inclined towards one side, is seen an aperture 
leading to an internal channel, and in the direction of this chan- 
nel the exterior face has a short, broad, prominent ridge : this 
channel, passing obliquely through the substance of the shell, 
soon reappears on the inner face in the form of a flattened bony 
tube, from the orifice of which a distinct cord issues, whicli 
thence extends upwards, soon divides into three branches, and 
then into numerous ramifications, which, crossing each other 
over the summit in broad bands, thus become distributed into a 
reticulated network that extends over the whole surface : this 
network, which consists of an infinity of very loose fine spiral 
threads, is placed between the external shell and a distinct dark- 
coloured membrane adhering equally to the nucleus, which thus 
becomes easily separated by means of its intervention ; each 
spiral thread is, however, quite free, and is easily drawn away. 
Within this last-mentioned membrane is another intermediate 
tunic, which is very thin, colourless and transparent, and is 
VOL. I. Y 
