EN
This study deals with the initiation and development of the integument in flowering plants. A classification including types and variations is proposed. The types (dermal, subdermal and dermal-subdermal) have different origins, that is, the integument may develop either from the dermal or subdermal or from both sets of initials. The characters of the variations comprise a complex of the following features: (1) the number of initials, (2) the sequence of their divisions and the mode of cell wall initiation at the first developmental stages, and (3) the participation of the initials in the formation of the various layers. The main evolutionary trends of the integument and ovule as a whole are considered.