FRUIT. PERICARP. 71 



naked then this alone is called the fruit, as in the Hazelnut, 

 (CorylaS)) and Sage, (Salvia.) Strictly speaking, however, 

 no seed ever does occur naked, since each one, though in- 

 closed in a shell, husk, or pod, has its own membrane, or 

 integument, which surrounds the proper seed. Thus when a 

 Pea, or Bean, is planted, arid the two halves called cotyledons, 

 swell, this membrane, or sack, bursts, and is cast off. When 

 therefore a seed is said to be naked, it is only understood that 

 it is not inclosed in any covering except its own proper mem- 

 brane. 



FRUIT. 



The fruit, in the proper sense of the word, is the pistillum 

 arrived at maturity. But this term is also applied to the pis- 

 tillum, and floral envelopes taken together, when they are all 

 united in one uniform mass. We shall consider the fruit as 

 consisting of the matured germen, including the coverings, 

 or envelopes of the seed, called the pericarp, and shall at 

 present, omit the terms employed by Prof. Lindley, Mirbel, 

 and other scientific writers, in explaining the more physiolo- 

 gical parts of this subject. 



PERICARP. 



This term is derived from the Greek, peri, about, or around, 

 and karpos, the seed, or fruit. It therefore is a general term, 

 including any seed vessel, or substance enclosing the seed, 

 whether it be in the form of pod, bag, shell, pulp, or berry. 



The most obvious use of the pericarp is to protect the seeds 

 until they are ripe. It may be observed also, that many seed 

 vessels promote the dispersion of their seeds, thus performing 

 one of the great designs of nature, that of spreading her pro- 

 ductions. The common garden flower, Touch-me-not, (Im- 

 patiens,) is a familiar example of such a provision. The 

 pericarp, which is composed of several valves, as it grows 

 dry, acts as an elastic spring, and throws the seeds to a con 

 siderable distance in all directions. The pericarps, according 

 to the Linnaean division, are of the following kinds, viz. 



Are the seeds of any plants found naked, strictly speaking ? When are 

 seeds said to be naked ? What is the pericarp ? What is the most 

 obvious use of the pericarp ? How do some pericarps promote the dis- 

 persion of their seeds ? 



