THE FRUIT 57 



it is craivned, as in Yellow Bellflower, Delicious, and Deacon 

 Jones. 



89. The calyx. — The withered calyx, or at least its lobes, per- 

 sists in some species of pomes and not in others and thus may 

 be a certain mark of recognition. For example : the lobes per- 

 sist in the common apple but are deciduous in the true crab- 

 apple, Pyrus haccata; persistent in the common pear, deciduous 

 in most of the Asiatic species; persistent in the common quince, 

 deciduous in the Japanese quince. The calyx may be open, 

 partly open, or closed in case it persists. In some varieties of 

 apples the segments are separated at the base; in others united. 

 The lobes may stand erect or lie flat on the fruit. When erect, 

 if the tips incline inward, the lobes are said to be comiivent; if 

 inclined outward, they are divergent or reflexed. The lobes may 

 be further described by such terms as are employed for the 

 sepals of the flower. 



90. Surface characters of pomes. — The appeal to the eye 

 and to a much lesser extent to the touch make the surface char- 

 acters of all fruits most important in classification. The skin 

 itself is of relatively small importance but in all pomes must 

 be noted. It may be thick or thin, toiigh or tender. The tough 

 skin of the Mcintosh apple is characteristic. In a few varieties 

 of apples it may peel from the flesh easily, but generally it 

 clings tightly. In many varieties the skin or the flesh close 

 underneath has a characteristic flavor which may add to or 

 detract from the flavor of the fruit ; thus, the skin of the Seckel 

 pear adds to the flavor while the bitterish gritty skin of Duchesse 

 d'Angouleme detracts. 



The roughened outer skin, called scarf-skin, is a mark of recog- 

 nition of several apples. In some red sorts, notably Sweet 

 Winesap and Black Gilliflower, the scarf-skin makes the color 

 appear duller and darker. On the skins of Pumpkin Sweet, 

 Yellow Newtown, and some other varieties the scarf-skin runs 

 outward from the base of the apple in lines or stripes. The 

 scarf-skin is usually colorless and may be rubbed off. It is, 

 of course, the true epidermis of the fruit. 



The surface of the fruit may also be covered with a delicate 

 powdery coating, easily rubbed off, called the hloom. Apples 

 of the Fameuse or Mcintosh and the Pearmain groups are 



