206 Fruits and Seeds. 



sepals are situated below the fruit. In the Rose, or 

 the contrary, the peduncle is swollen and inverted, 

 so as to form a hollow cup, in the interior of which 

 the carpels are situated. Here you will remember 

 that the sepals are situated above, not below, the 

 fruit. Again, in the Pear and Apple it is the 

 ovary which constitutes the edible part of the fruit, 

 and in which the pips are imbedded. At first sight 

 the fruit of the Mulberry which, however, belongs 

 to a different family closely resembles that of the 

 Blackberry. In the Mulberry, however, it is the 

 sepals which become fleshy and sweet. 



7. The next point is that seeds should be in a 

 spot suitable for their growth. In most cases the 

 seed lies on the ground, into which it then pushes its 

 little root. In plants, however, which live on trees 

 the case is not so simple, and we meet with some 

 curious contrivances. Thus, the Mistletoe, as we 

 all know, is parasitic on trees. The fruits are eaten 

 by birds, and the droppings often therefore fall on 

 the boughs ; but if the seed was like that of most 

 other plants it would soon fall to the ground, and 

 consequently perish. Almost alone among English 

 plants, it is extremely sticky, and thus adheres to 

 the bark. 



8. Another very interesting genus, again, of the 

 same family is Myzodendron (fig. 80), a Fuegian 

 species allied to the Mistletoe, and parasitic on the 

 Beech. Here the seed is not sticky, but is provided 

 with four flattened flexible appendages. These 



