November's?"}    The  Apocynacece  in  Materia  Medica.  547 
there  solely  a  little  intermediary  parenchyma ;  the  external  zone 
accompanies  the  funicules  in  their  "  sortie,"  it  is  then  formed  of 
irregular  cells. 
Description  of  the  Seed. — The  shape  is  always  lanceolate,  but 
occasionally  asymetrical,  often  with  margins  a  little  distorted, 
always  attenuated  lengthwise  in  advance,  and  often  quite  pointed  in 
the  rear ;  but  this  lower  extremity  is  subjected  to  variations  rather 
great  in  the  same  fruit,  and  the  seeds  are  abundantly  rounded.  The 
size  fluctuates  from  10-17  millimetres  in  length  by  2-3  millimetres 
in  breadth  and  1—1-5  millimetres  in  thickness.  The  size  not  only 
varies,  but  also  the  proportion,  certain  seeds  being  relatively  broad 
and  flat  in  comparison  with  their  length. 
The  raphe  always  little  or  not  at  all  visible  excepting  sometimes 
entirely  at  the  top.  The  hairs  very  numerous,  not  very  near 
together,  color  a  golden  brown,  brilliant,  velvety,  changing  in  color 
with  the  illumination,  short  but  visible  to  the  naked  eye,  direction 
from  base  to  the  top.  The  passage  from  the  seed  to  the  awn  is  badly 
limited.  The  awn  is  relatively  long,  the  part  naked  at  times  very 
straight,  at  other  times  and  often  a  little  sinuous,  always  very 
fragile,  quite  dark  in  color,  and  varying  from  15-18  millimetres  to 
about  28  or  30  millimetres.  The  plumed  part  about  25-28,  30  to 
35  millimetres,  it  being  a  little  longer. 
The  hairs  of  the  awn  are  very  long  and  frequently  attain  5  centi- 
metres ;  they  are  spreading,  silky,  fine,  delicate,  brilliant,  whitish, 
with  the  base  slightly  yellowish  ;  in  mass  a  little  yellowish. 
On  macerating  the  seed  in  water,  we  may  separate  (1)  the  semi- 
nal envelope,  thin,  colored,  villous ;  (2)  the  whitish  albumen,  carti- 
laginous, resistant,  in  the  form  of  a  sac,  quite  transparent,  appearing 
to  be  laid  around  the  embryo ;  (3)  the  white  embryo  friable  with  two 
oval  cotyledons,  with  a  long  and  slender  radicle. 
Anatomical  Structure. — (a)  Tegument. — The  first  cellular  layer 
is  formed  of  cells  with  thickened  membrane  especially  following  the 
lateral  walls,  each  cell  becoming  circular  by  a  thickening  parallel  to 
the  external  surface.  Upon  the  section,  these  thickenings  coalesce 
the  two  neighboring  cells  appearing  as  a  convex  lens,  quite  clear, 
yellowish,  with  a  vertical  line  of  separation.  Between  these  solid 
lateral  walls  the  upper  face  of  the  cell  is  ordinarily  depressed,  so 
that  the  cellular  zone  is  undulated  and  as  if  lifted  between  pillars. 
Viewed  from  the  face  this  layer  is  formed  of  cells  more  or  less  quad- 
