THE POISONOUS PLANTS OF BOMB A Y. 489 



of Corallocarpits epigcea as merely a Berry ^ and have used the distin- 

 guishing expression " Inferior Berry " to denote that the fruit is 

 formed from an inferior ovary. But I must distinctly discard the 

 term monocarpellary, as suggested by Professor Reynolds Green, in 

 applying it to the tricarpellary fruit of any member belonging to 

 Cucurbitaceous Family. 



LeMaout and DeCaisne * say that the fruit of the N. 0, Cucurbita^ece 

 is a " fleshy berry (rarely dry)." According to these Botanists a berryf 

 is either " simple " or " compound." The " simple " berry is found 

 in Berberis and Arum. It differs from the "compound " berry by 

 originating in a " solitary carpel." * * • | Further LeMaout and 

 DeCaisne observe that the fruit termed ^'' Berry (bacca), whether 

 simple or compound, is succulent, indehiscent, and has no stone T 

 [N,B. — The italics are mine. — K. R. K.). " It differs from the 

 capsule only in its fleshy consistence (and not in being an inferior 

 fruit? — K. R. K.i for be it noted that the fruit of the Cucurbitacece is 

 distinctly inferior, whereas a capsule is superior.— K. R. K.). I 

 refrain from further quoting fully, as I should like to doj the observa- 

 tions of LeMaout and DeCaisne for fear it would involve the ordi^ 

 nary reader of these pages into a fearful maze as regards the true 

 botanical significance of the term *' Berry," and would in no way help 

 in deciding whether the fruit of the plant I am now describing is 

 or is not a berry pure and simple in the ordinary acceptation of the 

 term. 



The best description of the fruit of the Cucurbitacece is given hy 

 Gaertner. I shall refer to him later on. 



According to Asa Gray the term *' berry " (bacca) "comprises all 

 simple fruits in which the pericarp is fleshy throughout. The grape, 

 gooseberry, currant, cranberry, banana and tomato are familiar 

 examples." § 



This is what Professor Otto W. Thome says regarding the nature 

 of the berry : " In the berry all the layers of the pericarp are fleshy 

 and succulent, as in the grape, currant and gooseberry ; or the outer 



- A General System of Botany, translated by Mrs. Hooker, 1873, p. 46.1. 



t Op. cit., p. 99. 



X Op.cit., p. 103. 



§ P. 299, Botanical Text Book, Vol. I ; Structural Botany, 6tli Edition, 1879, New York, 



