The Scottish Naturalist. 269 



and others; hairy seeds in Malvaceae (Gossypiu/u), Sterculiaceae 

 (Bombax); and seeds bearing a tuft of hairs in Epilobium, in 

 Ascltpiadaceae, Salicaccce, and various others ; winged fruits are 

 present in Fraxinus, Ulnius, Betula, Ptelea, Angelica, Acer, 

 F a //isteria, and many other genera belonging to different orders. 

 Examples of such resemblances in widely-different plants might 

 be multiplied indefinitely, but these may suffice. 



Turning now to the various modes of distribution met with in 

 the same natural order, and even in the same genus, these are 

 at times very different. In Onagracece, we find (1) Epilobium, 

 with capsular fruit enclosing very numerous small seeds, each 

 provided with a tuft of hairs. (2) Fuchsia, nearly allied, but 

 with the fruit a berry, and no hairs on the seeds. (3) Circcea, 

 with a small indehiscent fruit (with one or two seeds), covered 

 with small hooked prickles for grasping. Among Rosacea are 

 numerous and very various modes of distribution. Looking at 

 the arrangement of the genera in any flora of Scotland, we find 

 that (1) Pruuus has the fruits and drupes distributed chiefly by 

 birds swallowing them, and voiding the seeds enclosed in the 

 stone (e.g., cherry and sloe). (2) Spiraea has fruits that open 

 when ripe (follicles), but require to have the seeds shaken out 

 by action of wind on the stems. (3) Agrimonia has one or few 

 seedlike indehiscent carpels enclosed in a tubular flower-stalk 

 which bears round its edge small hooks ; this part breaking off, 

 with the ripe carpels enclosed, the hooks serve for grasping. 

 (4) Alchemilla and Potentilla, no special adaptations. (5) Fra- 

 garia — strawberry — has the flower- stalk enlarged, fleshy, and 

 convex, with many seed-like carpels over its surface. The 

 large stalk is swallowed bearing the carpels, which are thus 

 distributed when voided by birds. (6) Rubus — raspberry, 

 bramble, &c. — the fruit is a mass of small drupes like minia- 

 ture cherries, and is distributed in like manner by birds. (7) 

 Geum, as far as concerns our native species, has the style pro- 

 vided in the middle with a bend, which forms a hook for grasp- 

 ing when the apical half falls off, as it does when the seed is 

 nearly ripe. The carpels are small. (8) Dry as octopetala and 

 Geum montanum have the style elongated and hairy, to float the 

 seedlike indehiscent carpel. (9) Rosa has numerous seedlike 

 carpels enclosed in a hollow flower-stalk, which becomes en- 

 larged and fleshy, and is eaten by animals along with the 

 enclosed carpels, which are thus distributed. (10) Crataegus 

 (hawthorn) and Pyrus (apple, pear, rowan, service berry, &c. ) 



