Slopes . — On the Double Nature of the Cycadean Integument . 563 
the theory to stand. To explain Lagenostoma without the Cycads or the 
Cycads without Lagenostoma becomes a doubly difficult task. 
Matte’s work on the recent Cycads appears to have led him to 
a similar conclusion, though his work is from rather a different point 
of view. In his description of the vascular system of the ovule he 
substitutes the adjective ‘ perinucellaire ’ for the ‘ nucellaire ’ of previous 
descriptions. He does this, however, not so much as the result of 
independent observations of the facts of the case, but as he says (p. 168), 
in the presence of the work of Oliver and Scott and others, ‘ il est bon 
d’agir avec la plus grande circonspection en ce qui concerne l’attribution 
exclusive de cette couronne au nucelle de 1 ’ovule.’ He adds, ‘ En efifet, en 
raison des rapports que les faisceaux de la couronne t^gumentaire 
contractent avec ceux du reste de 1’ecaille, en raison aussi des rapports que 
les faisceaux de la couronne perinucellaire contractent avec ceux de la 
couronne dite tdgumentaire, je suis amene a penser que ces derniers 
correspondent au systeme nervulaire d’une foliole ou de pinnules dune 
penne relevees et concrescentes en cupule et que le systeme perinucellaire 
represente une chose ajoutee accidentellement inseree sur elles,’ suggesting 
further that the * systeme t^gumentaire ’ is the equivalent of the cupular 
bundles of Lagenostoma , and the ‘ systeme nucellaire ’ that of the vessels 
penetrating the integument. This unites the work from the side of recent 
Cycads on this point. 
The views of Oliver and Scott are expressed in their monograph, where 
they state (loc. cit., p. 234) : * The canopy of a Lagenostoma may well have 
undergone simplification into the hard integument of a Cycadean seed, 
and, in that case, the vascular strands, which run in or near the plane 
of union of nucellus and integument in the latter, should correspond with 
the integu mental bundles of Lagenostoma , even though they no longer pass 
into the free part of the integument.’ Now that it is known that in the 
living Cycads the inner series of bundles runs definitely not ‘ in or near 
the plane of union of nucellus and integument’ but actually in an inner 
layer of the integument, and that in addition it is not universally true that 
they ‘ no longer pass into the free part of the integument,’ but that in 
certain species they do pass beyond the free part of the nucellus and run 
in the free integument almost to the micropyle, this rather tentative 
suggestion may be considered to have accumulated force. 
The authors continue : c Whether the fleshy sarcotesta of Cycas , with its 
vascular strands, corresponds to a completely adnate cupule, may perhaps, 
be left an open question.’ The strengthening of the previous position adds 
support also to this, and further the marked detailed likeness between the 
structure and arrangement of the bundles of Cycas and Lagenostoma adds 
weight to the view that they do correspond morphologically if not 
‘ completely.’ 
