SOCIETY OF CENTKAL ILLINOIS. 283 



is each one of them is an ovary containing one seed. Tliis ovary is 

 a moditication of a leaf and the seed is a bud. Buds again consist 

 of the end of tlie stem and of rudinieiitary k'aves. 



Starting with the idea tliat the ai>i)le must be a modification of 

 some of above named fundamental parts of plants, let ns endeavor to 

 find out what. The stem of the fruit is woody, with a tliin layer of bark 

 on the outsiile. The depression at the a])i{-al ])art of tiie ap))le con- 

 tains what is often called the ''eye.'" It has Hve pointed, green ap- 

 pendages, which anyone may recognize as the tips of leaves. Let us 

 now cut the apple in two at its e(inat()r, so as to leave one half with 

 the stem at its center and the other half similarly bearing the eye. 

 We first see five cavities arranged symmetrically, their pointed in- 

 ternal extremities approaching near to a common center. The lin- 

 ing of these cavities is cartilaginous, much different from the ]>ulj)y 

 texture of the fruit. Looking a little closer, ten green points can 

 be made out, arranged in a circle something like midway between 

 the outer ends of the five cavities and the surface of the apple. Five 

 of the green points are opposite the cavities and five alternate with 

 them. If we slice off the apple parallel to the first eut, we find the 

 green points are still seen, showing that they are really green lines 

 running from stem to eye. By careful following, it may be made 

 out that five of them run to the leaf points-of the eye. Each evi- 

 dently represeiits the midveiu of the leaf. These are the alternat- 

 ing ones with the core cavities. It seems pretty certain therefore 

 that the apple fruit has in its make-up at least five leaves, very much 

 thickened and joined together into one mass, e.Kcept at their tips. 

 These leaves form the outside portion of the ap})le, their lower sur- 

 faces being outward and the lower epidermis changing into the skin 

 of the fruit. 



On further study it is not difficult to satisfy one's self that the 

 five core cavities are formed in each by the folding of a leaf along 

 the midrib, the two edges meeting at the center of the fruit. The 

 green spot is the midril) of this leaf, the cartilaginous lining of the 

 cavity is the modified upper epidermis. The exterior portions of 

 these thickened leaves are fused together among themselves, and 

 also wdth the first five leaves we have described. 



We find, then, that an ap])le consists of ten leaves much modi- 

 fied and intimately joined into one mass. The stem is the end of a 

 branch, bearing this whorl of leaves. 



This does not, however, tell the whole story. If we examine 

 the cross section of our aj)ple more attentively we see other green 

 points, less distinet than the ten descriljed. In the blossouj the 

 petals stand on the inside, upper portion of the outside circle of five 

 leaves. These latter are the calyx of the flower. In the process of 

 modification the petals — originally leaves and distinct from tiu' calyx 

 leaves — have been joined wifii the latter to near their top. The 

 only remains of the lower united portion of the petal leaves are the 



