Mature and 4-d-old seeds of Phelipanche aegyptiaca. (A) SEM image of mature seeds. (B) Longitudinal section of seed, showing the small artificial gap (arrow) in the seed coat that was made to improve penetration of fixing solutions and embedding media. (C) Anatomical section of young seed, 4 d after pollination. The seed coat is composed of epidermis, inner parenchyma and endothelium (arrow). (D) Flowering stalk of P. aegyptiaca. The young seeds that were taken for microscopical analysis were collected from flowers on node 4. Abbreviations: E, epidermis; Eb, embryo; IP, inner parenchyma; Ps, perisperm.