6S 



SYSTEMA Tir POMOLOdY 



often spoken of as the I'crncl, is witliin the stone, quite free, 

 showing that the walls of the stone conkl not luive been devel- 

 oped from the ovule. The fruits of the almond, aprieot, cherry, 

 peach, and plum are drupes. Each carpel in a raspberry, black- 

 berry, or bramble-fruit is a small 

 dru]ic to which is ^iven the names 

 dm pel ft or drupel, and the so- 

 called l)(M'i-y of the brambles is a col- 

 lection of drupelets, a compound 

 fruit. 



102. Size of drupes. — There is 

 much less variation in the size of 

 drupe- than in pome-fruits, and this 

 character, therefore, is more valu- 

 able in classification. Length and 

 breadth of drupes should usually be 

 given in figures. These can be ob- 

 tained only by the use of calipers, 

 since soft fruits seldom can be sec- 

 tioned for measurements of diam- 

 eters. Even w^hen measurements are 

 given, a description should state 

 whether the fruit is large, medium, 

 or small. These relative terms are 

 rightly applied only with varieties 

 of a single species in mind. ^lont- 

 morency, for example, is a laige sour cherry; it would be inac- 

 curate to compare it with Napoleon, a sw^eet cherry, in w^hich 

 case it w^ould be small. 



103. Shapes of drupes. — One of the first characters to be 

 used in classifications of drupes is shape, which is much more 

 constant and reliable than in pome-fruits. The terms for defin- 

 ing shapes of drupes are simple : round, oval, ovate, heart-shaped, 

 cordate, oUate, oblong, conical, or truncate. Some plums are 

 egg-shaped and a few- pear-shaped ; an occasional variety has a 

 more or less distinct neck. Many of the stone-fruits are com- 

 pressed or flattened sidewise, a shape seldom found in pome- 

 fruits ; it must be noted w^hether the compression is along or 

 opposite the suture. In the peach, in particular, some varie- 



FiG. 38. Lengthwise-section 

 of a drupe, a. epicarp ; b. 

 mesocarp ; c. endocarp or 

 stone ; d. testa ; e. coty- 

 ledons ; f. calyx. 



