THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM 301 
ovary is the pericarp! which may be dry as in marsh-marigold 
and nearly all the other genera, or may be fleshy as in bane- 
berries. When the pericarp opens to release the seeds it is 
said to be dehiscent,? and the manner of opening, its dehis- 
cence. The pericarp of marsh-marigold dehisces by a vertical 
slit, or suture * along the ventral or inner side, 7. e., the side 
toward the axis of the flower. A dry fruit consisting of one 
carpel dehiscing by the ventral or by the dorsal suture alone 
is called a follicles For other examples see Figs. 282, 287. 
A dry pericarp consisting of two or more carpels is termed a 
capsule. The fruit of fennel-flowers (Fig. 286) is a capsule 
in which each carpel dehisces by a short ventral suture near 
the top. A further peculiarity of the pericarp of the species 
illustrated is that except where the carpels are united, the 
wall separates into an outside and an inside layer, leaving a 
considerable empty space between. . 
Pericarps which do not open are said to be indehiscent. A 
small, dry, indehiscent fruit, like that of crowfoots, anemonies, 
and mouse-tails is termed an achene.* <A fruit like that of 
baneberries in which the whole pericarp is fleshy, is a berry. 
In a seed, as we have seen (page 316), there is an outer pro- 
tective layer, the seed-coat, enclosing the embryo and the 
seed-food or albumen. In marsh-marigold (Fig. 185) the 
seed-coat is of unequal thickness, the embryo minute and 
situated near one end of a comparatively large amount of 
albumen. Seeds essentially similar are found in the other 
members of the family. 
In every part of the marsh-marigold, as we have seen 
(page 208), there is a colorless juice which is of sharp taste 
and poisonous properties if eaten fresh and raw. Such an 
acrid, watery juice containing a more or less poisonous, usually 
volatile, principle, is generally present throughout the family. 
Crowfoots, anemonies, and monkshoods, will be remem- 
1 Per’-i-carp < Gr. peri, around; karpos, fruit. 
2 De-his’-cent < L. dehiscere, yawn. 
3 Su’-ture < L. sutura, a seam. 
4 Fol’-li-cle < folliculus, dim. of follis, a wind bag. 
5 Cap’-sule < L. capsula, dim. of capsa, a box. 
6 A-chene’ < Gr. a, not; chainein, yawn. 
