THE FRUIT 23 
rounded by two distinct coats. The necks of the integuments 
shrink and remain as a beak over the micropyle of the seed. With 
the drying of the funiculus and contiguous structures the basal 
walls cover the remains of the residual cavity whose presence is 
indicated by a more or less marked depression at the base of the 
mature seed. 
THE FRUIT 
The wall of the ovary is composed of a definite epidermal 
layer with thickened and somewhat cuticularized walls, and an 
inner or lining layer of thin-walled cells. Between these layers 
in young ovaries is a loose mass of spongy tissue composed of 
nearly isodiametric cells. These spongy tissue cells elongate along 
some one axis in various directions and so produce large inter- 
cellular spaces. This formation is less evident next to the epi- 
dermis where one to three layers of cells retain their earlier form 
and position. In the upper part of the ovary the air spaces are 
largest, which, together with the formation of many large raphide 
cells, makes this portion of the wall much thicker than elsewhere 
(PLATE 2, FIGS. 26, 33; TEXT FIG.51). As the seeds mature the 
growth of the ovary wall continues so that a considerable space is 
formed for the growth of the seed (PLATE I, FIGS. 17, 20). At 
this time the chloroplasts break down and irregular, more or less 
globular masses of yellow bodies appear in the formerly chloro- 
phyll-bearing cells, giving the fruit its characteristic color. 
The mature fruit is a scarlet or vermillion berry 3-6 mm. in 
diameter, with flattened sides and containing one to six white 
seeds (PLATE I, FIGS. 15, 16, 18). As the fruits mature, the axis 
of the spike elongates and enlarges by increase of its air spaces so 
that the fruits are not more closely crowded than the ovaries at 
anthesis (PLATE I, FIGS. 20, 21). The clusters of scarlet or ver- 
million berries are among the most conspicuous of late summer 
fruits and are carried by birds, mice, and chipmunks. The use 
of the fruit pulp as food by animals is made more possible by the 
development of a slightly sweet taste and the disappearance of 
most of the raphides from the thoroughly ripened pulp. 
