INDEHISCENT AND DEHISCENT FRUITS 307 



Sometimes a whole inflorescence develops into a 

 single fruit (often called an " aggregate fruit "). In 

 the fig, for instance, the axis of the inflorescence is 

 concave, bearing the crowded flowers on its inner surface. 

 In fruit the axis (common receptacle of the flowers) 

 becomes succulent, the ovaries (" pips ") remaining 

 hard. In the pineapple the whole of the flowers of 

 the inflorescence (including perianth and stamens), 

 as well as the bases of the bracts, become succulent. 

 The hard tips of the bracts are exposed on the surface 

 of this " aggregate " fruit. 



Indehiscent and Dehiscent Fruits. Sometimes the 

 hange in form and appearance of the carpels in the 

 assage from flower to fruit is very slight, as in 

 le buttercup, rose, strawberry. In the buttercup, for 

 istance, the carpels, which are one-seeded, scarcely 

 row at all, but their walls become dry and membranous, 

 hanging in colour from green to brown. When ripe 

 [ley are easily detached from the receptacle and are 

 tiaken off by the wind. The pericarp softens and 

 ecays in damp soil, and when the seed inside germinates 

 tie young plant pushes through its remains. This 

 > called an indehiscent fruit, because the pericarp does 

 ot open when the seeds are ripe. A dry one-seeded 

 lembranous walled fruit of this kind is called an 

 chene. It is a common type, not only in the butter- 

 up family (Ranunculaceae), as in buttercup, anemone, 

 lematis, but also in the rose family (Rosaceae), where 

 : is found in cinquefoil (Potentilla), herb-bennet (Geum) 

 nd others ; and it may, as we have seen, be associated 

 dth a succulent receptacle (rose, strawberry). Much 

 lie same type of fruit is found in the great family 

 ompositae, in which the flowers are aggregated in close 

 eads (dandelion, thistle), and the outer ones are 



