Influence of the Adult Plant upon the Seedling. 321 
As is well known the Proteacese are remarkable in several 
respects; on the present occasion it is desired only to mention a 
few of their peculiarities, viz., their xerophytic habit, their general 
vegetative resemblance, in some cases, to certain Gymnosperms and 
the occurrence of polycotyledony. 
Fletcher especially investigated, from the point of view of 
external morphology, this last phenomenon and came to exactly the 
same conclusion as the present authors with regard to the origin of 
polycotyledony, viz., by the splitting of two original structures. 1 
The resemblance in the habit of certain Proteacese and 
Gymnosperms is sufficiently well shewn by Figures 1 and 2 which 
represent well-developed seedlings of Persoonia pinifolia, R.Br. and 
Pirtus sylvestris, L. respectively. 
A seedling of Persoonia lanceolata, of roughly corresponding age, 
foliage leaves were removed to Fig. 2. A seedling of Pinus sylvestris , not 
expose the cotyledons. About developed quite so far as the plant shewn in 
nat. size. (After Fletcher). Fig. 1, and shewing six cotyledons, x about 2. 
is illustrated in Figure 3. It will be observed that in this plant the 
resemblance to the gymnospermous habit is confined chiefly to the 
cotyledons, a feature which stands out more clearly if younger 
seedlings be examined. Three such are shewn in Figure 4, one with 
three cotyledons and two others, in whieh the upper regions only 
1 Hill and de Fraine. On the Seedling Structure of Gymno¬ 
sperms. II—Ann. Bot., 1909, XXIll. 
