92 Oliver . — On the Structure , Development , 
succulent, and the cells of which were richly starch-containing 1 , 
becomes quite shrivelled, from the travelling away of these 
stores, which are conveyed to the developing seed. 
Resuming the history of the embryo-sac and its contents. 
As the endosperm continues to grow, it gradually encroaches 
on the tissues lying outside it. Indeed the process is con- 
tinued until of the nucellus and integument we have remaining, 
throughout the greater part of the seed, only a single layer of 
cells (int., Fig. 37). 
As already stated for the earlier stages, no endosperm 
formation takes place in the micropylar region of the embryo- 
sac. This region is occupied by the synergidae, and perhaps a 
certain amount of protoplasmic remainder ; these, instead of 
dwindling after fertilization in the usual manner, go on in- 
creasing much in bulk. By the time that the seed is ripe, so 
large have they become that there is a conspicuous tubercle — 
which I shall speak of as the synergidal tubercle — present at 
the top of the seed (Figs. 35 and 37). It is the side of this 
tubercle which is attached to the placenta, and, externally, it 
is separated from the rest of the seed by conspicuous con- 
striction. In such a stage as that represented in Figure 36 
these greatly developed synergidae have a granular protoplasm, 
often highly vacuolated ; each synergida containing a large 
nucleus ( n .) with tendency to fragmentation. In the ripe seed 
they have reached their maximum development, and their 
protoplasm shows a very curious, congealed-looking reticulum. 
Immediately round the edge there is a denser limiting layer, 
but the bulk is made up of the oddly areolated, granular and 
sometimes vacuolated protoplasm. It is difficult to describe 
the effect in question, but in Fig. 38 I have given an enlarged 
view of the region around A in Figure 37, which comes as 
near to the appearance in question as I can manage. The 
large, lobed, fragmenting nuclei present a very degenerated 
appearance, coloured often a deep brown or black by tannin. 
Each is surrounded by a small, comparatively homogeneous, 
protoplasmic areola (n. a.), which does not show the typical 
reticulations of the other regions. 
