A Contribution to Our Knowledge of Seedlings, Vol. 2 of 2

Excerpt from A Contribution to Our Knowledge of Seedlings, Vol. 2 of 2
Fruit and Seed. - The ovary of the Begoniaceae is as a rule wholly inferior. That of Hillebrandia forms an exception, being free for a short distance at the apex. Most frequently it is three-celled with three wings or angles, rarely one-, two-, four-, or many-celled. The placentas are axile and simple, or consist of two plates, or are branched and project into the cavity of the ovary; in the case of one-celled ovaries they are thick and spongy. The ovules are very numerous, most often covering the whole surface of the placentas and ana-tropous. The fruit is capsular, dehiscing loculicidally or rarely septicidally; but a few species of Begonia have baccate fruits bursting irregularly. Those of Hillebrandia dehisce by a large opening between the styles and above the calyx-segments. The capsule of this genus also differs from the prevailing type by being hemispherical and wingless. The mature fruit has the same number of cells as the ovary, and contains very numerous minute seeds of an oblong or cylindrical outline, with a membranous reticulate testa. Endosperm is wanting, or is reduced to a thin layer surrounding the embryo.
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