STRUCTURE OF FRUIT. 179 



the fruit arises from near the base, if it be short, the 

 seed is necessarily erect, for example, in all the Com- 

 posite ; if it be long enough to reach the top of the 

 cell and then curve at its extremity, the seed, although 

 originating from the base, is found pendent ; as is seen 

 in the upper cell of the fruit of Crambe, in the fruit of 

 Paronychia, &c. 



Let us suppose, now, that the nourishing cord is long, 

 ascending, and united to the wall of the cell, the seed is 

 attached to its extremity, and appears pendent from the 

 top of the cell, as, for example, in the Dipsaceae ; in 

 this case, as in the preceding, one of the margins of the 

 fruit presents a small nerve ; in the first, this nerve, 

 which is very delicate, is produced by the pistillary cord, 

 in the second, by the nourishing cord. 



When the seeds arise from the margins of the carpels, 

 or from the inner angle of the cells, they are naturally 

 horizontal ; but when the funiculus is long, and especi- 

 ally in pulpy fruits, it happens that they take a pendent 

 or uncertain position according to the development or 

 particular position of the fruit, or according to their own 

 weight. Thus the length, adhesions, and inflexions of 

 the umbilical cords, or of the pistillary and nourishing 

 cords, determine the general position of the seeds in 

 the cells of the fruit or in the carpels, combining 

 these characters with those above mentioned, with 

 regard to the position of the placentae and the number 

 of seeds. 



The umbilical cord always bears the seed at its ex- 

 tremity, and the part of the seed to which it adheres is 

 that which is called the Umbilicus, Hilum, or Cicatri- 

 cula ; but as this cord has a tendency, in several fruits, 

 to expand a little before reaching the seed, these expan- 

 sions have received the name of Arillus ; and their 

 history is the more important, as, in certain cases, one 



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