page FOUNDATIONS OF BOTANY 
that is, they remain closed after ripening. Dehiscent 
fruits when ripe open in order to discharge their seeds. 
The three classes which im- 
mediately follow Sect. 237 
belong to this division. 
235. The Akene. — The 
one-celled and one-seeded 
pistils of the buttercup, 
strawberry, and many other 
flowers, ripen into a little 
Fic. 166.— Akenes of a Buttercup. fruit called an akene (Fig. 
A, head of akenes ; B, section of a single 166). Such fruits, from 
Aten TY OR their small size, their dry 
consistency, and the fact that they never open, dre usually 
taken for seeds by those who are not botanists. 
In the group of plants to which the daisy, the sunflower, 
and the dandelion belong, the akenes consist of the ovary 
and the adherent calyx tube. The limb of the calyx is 
borne on the summit of many akenes, sometimes in the form 
of teeth, sometimes as a tuft 
of hairs or bristles (Fig. 267). 
236. The Grain. — Grains, 
such as corn, wheat, oats, bar- 
ley, rice, and so on, have the 
interior of the ovary com- 
pletely filled by the seed, and 
the seed-coats and the wall of 
the ovary are firmly united, as 
shown in Fig. 6. 
237. The Nut.— A nut (Fig. 167) is larger than an 
akene, usually has a harder shell, and commonly contains 
Fiac. 167. — Chestnuts. 
