Fruits 



175 



mum forms a circle of seed-like fruits. Each one contains a 

 hard white shining seed. The fruit is borne below the flower 

 and is indehiscent; that is, it does not open to let out the 

 seed. The fruit of the Composite family, to which Osteosper- 

 mum belongs, all have their fruit formed in this way, although, 

 instead of being smooth and shining, 

 it may he woolly or differently marked. 



A dry one-seeded inferior fruit is 

 called a cypsella. 



Protea and Clematis have also dry 

 'indehiscent fruits. The styles of the 

 ovaries remain on the ripe fruit, and 

 the enclosed seed is attached at one 

 place, the placenta. A Protea flower 

 has but one ovary, but Clematis has a 



Fig. 167.— Floret of Sow-thistle. 

 (From Edmonds and Mar- 

 loth' s "Elementary Botany 

 for South Africa ".) 



cluster or an etaerio of fruits. In 



borne above the perianth. 



A dry one-seeded superior fruit 

 In the Strawberry the receptacle 



is convex and fleshy ; in the rose it 



hairy ovaries. 



Fig. 168. — Tailed achene 

 of Protea me I lifer a, 

 Thunb. (From Ed- 

 monds and Marloth's 

 " Elementary Botany for 

 South Africa ". ) 



these flowers the ovary is 



is an achene. 

 which bears the achenes 

 is hollow, andiconceals the 



