534 Principles of Gardening. 



more apparent even in the ripe fruit, as in Cheiranthus, and 

 several genera with small seeds. The trophospermia lying on 

 both sides of the partition, in the Cruciferae, grow firmly together 

 to the stigma ; and this explains the alternation of the two lobes 

 of the scar (Narben-lappen) with the fruit-leaves, the persistence 

 of the style, and the property of the latter (jRaphanus, Erucas- 

 trum) to form seeds within itself, which must be considered as 

 great difficulties in explaining this form of fructification. 



h. The fruit- axis is divided from the top to the base into 

 several parts (placentae), which separate on all sides. The cor- 

 responding fruit-leaves bend with their surfaces towards the 

 divisions of the axis, and their edges grow into them. Hence 

 arises, in general, a whorl of loose single fruit or seed-vessels, 

 which, on becoming ripe, mostly open at their axis, in such a 

 manner that, on each edge of the fruit-leaf, one of the bundles of 

 vessels of the placenta remains. The fruits themselves are either 

 many- or single-seeded, and either quite loose or attached at 

 the base, as in iJelleborus. They also vary with respect to their 

 number. The whorls in »Sempervivum and /sopyrum consist of 

 many fruit ; in >Sedum and Z)ictamnus of five ; in some species of 

 (Spirae'a of three ; in Paeonm officinalis, ^sclepias, Cynanchum, 

 /^inca, andiVerium of two; and, finally, in the Leguminosae, of one 

 fruit, which, when regularly formed, should have also a whorl of 

 loose fruits. Of the transition of these forms of fructification 

 into one another, we have examples in several genera. The 

 various species of the genus Z)elphinium produce sometimes a 

 whorl of five, three, or only one loose fruit; Nigella arvensis and 

 hispanica form a whorl of loose seed-vessels only united at the 

 bottom; while Nigella sativa and damascena form the transition 

 to the fructification of the lily tribe, the axes of these seed-vessels 

 rising undivided as far as to the top, and there separating. The 

 empty compartments of the latter arise from the diminution of 

 the middle parenchymal layer of the fruit-leaves, to which Cysti- 

 capnos forms the obvious transition, for, when the fruit is ripe, 

 the rudiments of it are still visible. 



These are the principal modifications of fructifications, under 

 which all the forms as yet known to me are included. To 

 enumerate all the different changes, for example, how the apple, 

 the stone-fruit, or the berry, is produced, does not belong to this 

 place ; should I, however, be encouraged by a favourable recep- 

 tion of my views, arising from a firm conviction of their validity, 

 I may enter into this subject more at large in a future work. 



The bud and the fruit, therefore, both consist of a continuation 

 of the axis, gifted with the power of reproduction, together with 

 the appendages for their covering, the more or less perfect leafy 

 organs. The axis of the bud pierces its covering, lengthens 

 into a branch, and forms new buds ; the axis of the fruit lengthens 



