THE FRUIT: DEHISCENT FRUITS 



Loo 



Fig. 151. 



Diagrams illustrating three types (in cross 

 section) of the dehiscence of dry fruits. Loc, loculi- 

 cidal; Sep, Septicidal, Septifragal. 



fruits, but the fleshy part of the fruit is not of the same origin 

 as the fleshy part of the true drupes, like the cherry, peach, 

 plum, etc. 



III. DEHISCENT FRUITS. 

 Of the dehiscent fruits several prominent types are recognized. 



318. The capsule. When - 



the capsule is syncarpous (com- /\ ^\ 



pound pistil) it may dehisce in j ' 



three different ways: ist. The \-i^/ 



carpels split along the line of 



their union with each other 



longitudinally, as in the azalea 



or rhododendron. 2d. The car- 

 pels split down the middle line, as in the fruit of the iris, lily, etc. 3d. The 



carpels open by pores, as in the 

 poppy. Some syncarpous capsules 

 have but one locule, the partitions 

 between the different locules when 

 young having disappeared. The 

 "bouncing-bet" is an example, 

 and the seeds are attached to a 

 central column in four rows corre- 

 sponding to the four locules present 

 in the young stage. 



319. A follicle is a cap- 

 sule with a single carpel which 

 splits open along the ventral or 

 upper suture, as in the larkspur, 

 peony. 



320. The legume, or true 

 pod,js a capsule with a single 

 carpel which splits along both 

 sutures, as the pea, bean, 

 vetch, etc. As the pod ripens 

 and dries, a strong twisting 



Fig. 152. 

 Pods of Sweet Pea. 



tension is often produced, 

 which splits the pod suddenly, scattering the seeds. 



321. The silique. In the toothwort, shepherd's-purse, and nearly 

 all of the plants in the mustard family, the fruit consists of two united car- 



