SECTION 14.] 



FRUIT. 



123 



Poppy, or burs! Irregularly in sonic part, as in Lobelia and the Snapdragon; 

 but commonly il split - open (or \& dehiscent) lengthwise into regular pieces, 



railed VaLV] 9 



371. Regular Dehiscence in a capsule takes place in two ways, which are 



best illustrated in pods of two or three cells. It is either 



Loculicidal, or, splitting directly into the loculi or cells, that is, down 



the hack (or the dorsal suture) of each eell or carpel, as in 

 Iris (Fig. 395) ; or 



Septicidal, that is, splitting through tin; partitions or septa, 

 as in St. John's- wort ( Pig. 396), Rhododendron, 

 etc. This divides the capsule into its compo- 

 nent carpels, which then open by their ventral 

 suture. 



372. In loculicidal dehiscence the valves nat- 

 urally bear the partitions on their middle; in 

 the septicidal, half the thickness of a partition 

 is borne on the margin of each valve. See the 

 annexed diagrams. A variation of either mode 

 occurs when the valves break away from the 

 part it ions, these remaining attached in the axis of 

 the fruit. This is called Septifragal dehiscence. 

 One form is seen in the Morning-Glory (Fig. 

 400). 



373. The capsules of Rue, Spurge, and some others, are both loculi- 

 cidal and septicidal, and so split 

 into half-carpellary valves or pieces. 



374. The Silique (Fig. 401) is 

 the technical name of the peculiar 

 pod of the Mustard family ; which 

 is two-celled by a false partition 

 stretched across between two pa- 

 rietal placentae. It generally opens 

 by two valves from below up- 

 ward, and the placentas with the 

 partition are left behind when the 

 valves fall off. I 



375. A Silicle or Pouch is only 

 a short and broad silique, like that 

 of the Shepherd's Purse, Fig. 402, 

 4D3. 



Fio. 396. Capsule of Iris, with Loculicidal dehiscence; below, cut a 

 Fig. 39»5. Pod of a Marsh St. John'a-wort, with septicidal dehiscence. 

 Fia. 397, 398. Diagrams of the two modes. 



Fig. 399. Diagram of septifragal dehiscence of the loculicidal type. 400. Same 

 Of the septicidal or margimicidal type. 



