Seed in the Scitamineae . 
5 
species, which are natives of tropical America. The published 
figures of the few species whose ovules and seeds have been 
studied afford ground for the expectation that the develop- 
ment will prove closely similar in all. The species here 
described is believed to be the true C. indica , L. The 
members of this genus constitute alone the family 
Cannaceae. 
The general structure of the ripe seed of Canna was studied 
and more or less accurately figured by Gaertner (1788), Mirbel 
(TO, T5), and Richard (Tl), but we owe the first account of its 
real character to the founder of developmental morphology, 
Schleiden. Some of the chief features in the development of 
the seed were pointed out by him (’39), though they seem 
since to have been lost sight of. Since his time only frag- 
mentary notes on the genus have appeared, with the exception 
of Hegelmaier’s account (’74) of the development of the 
embryo. 
The ovides make their appearance in each loculus as two 
vertical rows of outgrowths from the placenta. Each has 
a distinct epidermal layer, and very early a sub-epidermal cell 
becomes distinguishable by its size as the archesporial cell. 
This soon divides into an apical and a sub-apical cell. The 
former was found in all cases examined (Fig. i), though 
Guignard (’82) states that this is not always true, but the 
number of anticlinal walls by which it is cut to form the 
tapetal layer seems to vary. Indeed it soon becomes im- 
possible to distinguish between the cells of this layer and 
adjoining ones of the nucellus. The sub-apical cell, or 
embryo-sac mother-cell, divides twice, thus producing a row 
of three cells (Figs. 2, 3). As in other plants, it is the lower 
cell of the row which forms the embryo-sac. 
The development of the ovule proceeds in normal fashion. 
The outgrowth soon begins to turn upon itself and assume its 
anatropous form. At about the time of the division of the 
archesporial cell, the limit of chalaza and nucellus is indicated 
by the formation of periclinal walls in certain cells of the 
