Page:An introduction to physiological and systematical botany (1st edition).djvu/321

 Rh Corn, Palms, Lilies, never rising out of the ground nor assuming the office of leaves, being destined solely to nourish the germinating embryo, till its roots can perform their office. In the Date Palm, Gærtner, t. 9, this part is nearly as hard as a stone; in Mirabilis, ''Exot. Bot. t.'' 23, it is like wheat flour. It is wanting in several tribes of plants, as those with compound, or with cruciform flowers, and the Cucumber or Gourd kind, according to Gærtner. Some few leguminous plants have it, and a great number of others which, like them, have cotyledons besides. We are not however to suppose that so important an organ is altogether wanting, even in the abovementioned plants. The farinaceous matter, destined to nourish their embryos, is unquestionably lodged in their cotyledons, whose sweet taste as they begin to germinate often evinces its presence, and that it has undergone the same chemical change as in Barley. The Albumen of the Nutmeg is remarkable for its eroded variegated appearance, and aromatic quality; the cotyledons of this seed are very small.