II] NUT 15 



Finally, in Poppies, Campanula, and a few others the 

 seeds escape through definite apertures in the capsule 

 walls (porous dehiscence), and the pores vary in position, 

 shape, and the degree in which they most closely resemble 

 slits, rounded holes, or valvular openings (Fig. 4). 



There is yet another point of importance in describing 

 capsules. Some, as those of the Poppy, Lychnis, and most 

 of the examples given above are superior, whereas in 

 Campanula, Iris, Colchicum, orchids and many others 

 they are inferior. Intermediate positions also occur. 



In all the above types of capsular fruits for it is 

 obvious that the Follicle, Legume and Silique come under 

 the general heading the faculty of dehiscence is promi- 

 nent and the seeds escape. 



In many cases, however, the ripe fruit only contains 

 one seed (or more rarely two) and does not dehisce, and so 

 common are such fruits that they receive special names. 

 The principal characteristic of them all is that the seed 

 (or embryo on germination) only escapes by the rotting 

 or irregular breaking of the usually hardened and never 

 fleshy pericarp. They may be brought under the general 

 name of Nut or Nutlet. 



Strictly speaking the Nut is a permanently closed, 

 syncarpous fruit, one-seeded by abortion, and with a hard 

 pericarp or shell, as acorns, Beech-nut, Hazel-nut, &c., and 

 in these typical cases there is an investing cupule, more 

 or less prominent, around them. 



Two popular errors in relation to the meaning of the 

 word "Nut" have to be noted. Owing to the hard "shell/' 

 objects such as the kernels of cherries, plums, coco-nuts 

 and so on, often receive the name though their real nature 

 is different ; and owing to the " shell " being not obviously 

 different from a seed-coat, nuts like the acorn, Beech- 

 mast, &c. are frequently confounded with seeds, though 



