210 FRUIT, 



plumelet which rises above the ground and forms the 

 stem and the herbage. 



There are various appendages to the seed, of which 

 the following are particularly worthy of notice. 



Pellicle. — This adheres closely to the surface of 

 some seeds so as to conceal their colour entirely from 

 our view, as in Convolvulus. 



Arillus. — This is a partial or entire covering of the 

 seed attached merely to its base. It is soft and pulpy 

 in Euonymus, membranaceous and elastic in the Sorrel, 

 cariaceous and divided in the Nutmeg, and like paper 

 in Coffee. Mace which envelopes the Nutmeg forms a 

 partial arillus, but the minute seeds of the Orchis are 

 completely invested by a similar coat, giving them a 

 light and chaffy appearance. To this head Dr. Smith 

 refers the loose husky covering which invests the 

 seeds of Carex which has besides this, an additional 

 coat not found in the seeds of other grasses. 



Pappus or Down* — This term is applied to the 

 chaffy, feathery or hairy crown of many naked seeds 

 arising from the partial calyx, and remaining till the 

 blossom has fided. 



In the Dandelion and Salsify it is elevated on a stalk 

 and termed stipitate ; in the Thistle it is sessile ; in 

 the Cacalia it is pilose resembling hairs ; and in Salsify 

 it is plumose or feathery. In Burr Marygold it is formed 

 of several barbed bristles which cling to our clothes 

 as soon as the seeds are mature. " The use of this 

 organ," says Dr. Smith, " is evidently to transport seeds 

 to a distance from their native spot, either by r* sign- 

 ing them to the power of the wind, or by attaching them 



* The French, and some English writers copying them, term it 

 Aigrette. 



