532 



PART 111. THE CLASSIFICATION OF PLANTS. 



(3) The porous capsule, eg. the Poppy (Fig. 342 /)), sheds its seeds through 

 small holes arising from the removal of small portions of the wall in certain 

 spots. 



B. SUCCULENT FRUITS. In these the pericarp is usually differentiated into 



layers, and some portion of it re- 

 tains its sap until it is ripe, and 

 usually becomes fleshy at that 

 stage ; it is indehiscent. 



(1) The drupe (Fig. 344), is su- 

 perior and moiiomerous, e.g. the 

 Plum, Cherry; or syncarpous, e.g. 

 the Walnut and Coco-Nut. The 

 most internal layer, the endocarp, 

 is very hard and sclerenchymatous 

 (Fig. 344 e) ; it is commonly known 

 as the stone in Plums, Peaches, 

 etc., and encloses the seed until 

 FIG. 343. Diagrammatic sections of dehiscent germination: the mesocarp is 

 multilocular capsules. A Septicidal, B loculi- generally succulent, and the epi- 

 cidal, dehiscence; C loculicidal septifragal carp is a delicat e membrane : when 

 dehiscence. .... . , , 



the fruit consists of several drupes, 



they are commonly termed drupels (e.g. Raspberry). 



(2) The berry (bacca) : the endocarp is soft and juicy as well as the mesocarp, 

 so that the seeds are imbedded in the pericarp : there may be one seed only, as 

 in the Date; or many, as in the Gourd, Currant and Grape : the fruit may have 

 one loculus, as in the Grape and the Gourd, or several loculi, as in the Orange; 

 and further, it may be superior, as in the Grape, 

 Orange, and Lemon ; or inferior, as iu the Cur- 

 rant, the Gooseberry, and the Gourd. 



When the fruit is apocarpous and 

 consists of many achenes, drupels, or 

 follicles, it is termed an elcerio ; for in- 

 stance, the fruit of the Buttercup, the 

 Rose, and the Strawberry is an etaerio 

 of achenes ; that of the Raspberry and 

 the Blackberry is an etcerio of drupels; 

 that of the Tulip-Tree and of the Mag- 

 nolia is an eteDrio of follicles. 



The transition between a syncarpous and an 

 apocarpous fruit can be readily traced in the 

 Malvaceae, from the loculicidal capsule of the 

 Hibisceae, through the schizocarpous carcerule 

 of the Malveae, to the fruit of the Malopeae 

 which resembles an etaerio of achenes though the styks are coherent. 



FIG. 844. Longitudinal sec- 

 tion of the drupe of the Almond. : 

 s the seed attached by the fun- 

 icle (/) ; e the hard endocarp ; 

 m the mesocarp; and x the 

 epicarp these constitute the 

 pericarp (p). 



