FRUITS AND THEIR USES 119 



mens and pistil may sometimes be found. A section through an 

 apple shows the outer skin, the calyx layer, the fleshy ovary wall, 

 the hard ovary wall and the seeds attached to the central axis, 

 with their points toward the stem. A fruit of this type is called 

 a pome and is represented by the apple, pear, quince, and 

 medlar. 



The bean pod is a type of a many-seeded dry fruit, called a 

 legume. At the stem end may be found the remains of the calyx 

 lobes. The bulk of the pod is the ovary; the pointed tip is the style, 

 on which the stigma may sometimes be found in young pods, as a 

 tiny knob. The " string " is a vascular bundle bringing nourish- 

 ment to the growing ovules, which are attached along one side of 

 the pod. Their point of attachment is called the placenta, and the 

 scar left on the seed, when it is removed, is the hilum. The bean 

 fruit thus includes mainly the greatly enlarged ovary and its con- 

 tents, with the style and possibly the stigma also.. 



Functions of Fruits. The chief functions of fruits are to protect 

 the ovules and seeds from attack by insects, or fungous spores; to 

 prevent loss of water; and to provide for dispersal. To provide 

 for these purposes the ovary develops in various ways. Tufts of 

 hair, wings, or hooks may be produced to aid in dispersal. Tough 

 shells or rinds may form for protection as in nuts or lemons. De- 

 licious flesh may envelop the hard inner stone, tempting animals 

 to eat the fruit and discard the seed at a distance from the parent 

 tree. The peach or cherry are examples of this. In addition to 

 the developments of the ovary wall, the calyx may become 

 fleshy and envelop the ovary as in apples and pears. In other 

 cases the end of the stem (receptacle) enlarges and becomes 

 a part of the fruit, as in the case of the strawberry and 

 blackberry. 



Seed Dispersal. That the ovary wall protects the seeds from 

 insect attack, drought, decay, and weather is plain enough, but 

 how the other function, dispersal, is accomplished may not be so 

 evident. The most superficial observation of any common plant, 

 such as the dandelion, will reveal two facts: (1) an enormous num- 

 ber of seeds are produced and (2) each full-grown plant requires a 



