THE POISONO US PLANTS OF BOMB A V. 487 



say, a succulent seed-vessel, filled with pulp, in which the seeds nestle, as 

 in Solanum.'^ In a companion work of Lindley's entitled " Elements 

 of Botany" (page 107, 184:7), a ^^r/-?/ is "a succulent fruit, the seeds of 

 which lose their adhesion when ripe, and lie loose in pulp"; ex.j a goose- 

 berry." There is the same omission here as in Hooker, as to whether 

 the fruit is superior or inferior. 



Professor J. H. Balfour of Edinbui'gh includes the Berry (bacca) 

 among the Indehiscent Syncarpous fruits, and describes it as follows : — 

 " A Berrt/ or Bacca is the name given to all indehiscent Syncarpous 

 fruits, the seeds of which are immersed in a pulpy or fleshjr mass. 

 Such fruits are collectively called baccate or berried. In the true 

 berry, such as the Gooseberry or Currant, the calyx adheres to the 

 fruit, and the placentas are parietal, while in the Grape (Uva) the 

 ovary alone is present, and the placentas are central. Instances of 

 baccate fruits are seen in Solanaceous plants, such as tl;ie Potato, 

 Egg-plant, Mandrake, Belladonna, and Winter-cherry, as well as the 

 Mistletoe." (P, 287, Class Book of Botany, 3rd Edition, 1870, 

 Edinburgh.) Note that the superior or inferior nature of the ovary is 

 not alluded to here. 



In Henfrey's "Elementary Course of Botany" (4th edition by 

 Maxwell T. Masters and A. W. Bennett, p. 147, 1884), the following 

 is the description of the "Bacca or Berry ";■—" The ^acm, or true 

 berry, is an inferior succulent fruit, crowned by the withered teeth of 

 the calyx ; it is uniformly pulpy, with a thin skin, the numerous seeds 

 being imbedded in the pulp, as in the gooseberry and currant, 

 &c. The term Baccate is, however, now generally applied to all 

 succulent fruits, whether superior or inferior, which have not a distinct 

 stone-like drupe/' Here, there is greater accuracy. 



In Professor Bentley's " Manual of Botany " (4th edition, 1882, 

 pp. 311 and 312), the term is thus described :—- -" The Bacca or Berry 

 is an inferior syncarpous fruit, with a fleshy indehiscent pericarp, one 

 or more-celled, many-seeded, pulpy. The pulp is produced from the 

 placentas, which are parietal and have the seeds at first attached to 

 them ; but these become alternately separated and lie loose in the 

 pulp. Examples may be found in the gooseberry and currant." 

 * * * " The name baccate or lerried is applied by many 

 Botanists to any fruit of a pulpy nature." \ 



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