494 



HUTCHINSON'S POPULAR BOTANY 



FIG. 621. COMMON MALLOW (Malva sylvestris). 



A multipartite schizocarp. 



sweep them many yards through 

 the air before its force is spent. 



The other kinds of splitting fruits 

 named above require but little de- 

 scription, and the accompanying 

 illustrations will help to fix their 

 distinctive features in the memory. 

 Fig. 622 shows a tripartite, and 

 fig. 620 a quadripartite schizocarp 

 the former of the Garden Nastur- 

 tium (Tropceolum majus), the latter 

 of the Black Horehound (Ballota 



mi-grab). Two quinquepartite schizocarps are depicted in fig. 623 one of 



them in the act of splitting. They are fruits of the Bloody Cranesbill 



(Geranium sanguineum). Fig. 621 is a multipartite 



schizocarp of the Common Mallow (Malva sylves- 



tris}. 



Like the Touch-me-not Balsam (Impatiens 



noli-me-tangere\ of which we have already given 



some account (p. 476), the fruits of the Bloody 



Cranesbill are sling-fruits. " If you would wish 



to catch 

 the Ger- 



a n u m 

 i 11 the 

 act of 

 sow- 



FIG. 622. NASTURTIUM 

 (Tropceolum majus). 

 A. tripartite schizocarp. 



FIG. 623.- 



(Geranium 



A quinquepartite schizocarp, or sling-fruit. 



1 11 g its 

 seeds," 



says Dr. Lindley, " gather a little 

 branch of the ripe fruit on a fine 

 summer's morning before the dew 

 is off it, and put it in the sun. 

 By degrees the fruits will dry, and 

 if you watch them, you will be 

 surprised by some of them, on a 

 sudden, emitting a snapping sound, 

 and you may see first one and then 

 another of the carpels quickly 

 curving upwards towards the top 

 of the style, opening at the same 

 time by their face, so as to let this 

 seed drop out." All this commo- 

 tion is caused by the elongation of 



