144 FRUITS. 



(73) Capsicum Fruit. 



The fruit of Capsicum annuum L. {N.O. Solanacese). 



The pericarp is composed of the following tissues : 



An epidermis of tabular cells, which are seen in surface view 

 to be polygonal and to have thickened, pitted, yellow walls. 



Next to the epidermis is a hypoderma consisting of four or 

 five rows of tangentially elongated cells with collenchymatous 

 and suberized walls ; these cells contain red chromoplasts and 

 droplets of oil. The hypoderma is followed by parenchymatous 

 tissue made up of thin-walled, polygonal cells, and traversed 

 by numerous bicollateral'bundles. 



Lastly, an inner epidermis composed of cells with thickened 

 and pitted walls, which in surface view are seen to be 

 irregularly sinuous. These thick-walled cells are interrupted 

 at intervals by bands of polygonal thin-walled cells, the whole 

 forming an extremely characteristic tissue. 



The calyx possesses on its lower surface an epidermis bearing 

 stomata, and composed of rectangular cells, which in surface 

 view are polygonal and elongated. The epidermis of the upper 

 surface is formed of irregular polygonal cells with pitted walls> 

 and bears short uni cellular conical hairs as well as bi cellular 

 and pluri cellular stalked gland of varying size. 



The epidermis of the seed-coat is very characteristic. In 

 surface view the cells of which it is composed are seen to be 

 very large and provided with very thick sinuous walls, but in 

 transverse section the outer wall is thin, whilst the radial and 

 inner walls are thickened ; immediately below the epidermis is 

 a layer of parenchymatous tissue made up of polygonal cells 

 with thin, pitted walls, next to which there is a thicker layer 

 of polygonal, isodiametric cells. The cells of the endosperm 

 are polygonal and contain small aleurone grains. 



The placenta is covered with an epidermis of polygonal cells 

 with pitted walls. Below the cuticle of these cells oily drops 

 are secreted in which the active constituent, capsaicin, is con- 

 tained ; the latter may sometimes be observed in lamellar 

 crystals. Next to the epidermis is a parenchymatous tissue 

 composed of smaller irregular cells and traversed by fibro- 

 vascular bundles. 



The diagnostic characters of powdered capsicums are : 



(a) The inner epidermis of the pericarp with thick-walled cells 



interrupted by bands of thin-walled ; 



(b) The epidermis of the seed-coat with large, thick-walled, 



sinuous pitted cells ; 



(c) The droplets of yellow or orange-coloured fixed oil ; 



(d) The thickened cells of outer epidermis of the pericarp. 



