THE PASSION-FLOWER TRIBE. 7^ 



find it is only a hollow sheath surrounding a solid 

 slender cylinder, from the top of which grows the 

 ovary. It is an unusual thing to find ovaries that 

 have a stalk in the inside of the flower : but such a 

 structure is not found in the Passion-flower alone. 



The ovary is an egg-shaped part, which, when you 

 cut it, is seen to consist of a single cavity, from three 

 elevated lines in which spring the ovules, just as in 

 the Violet. It is surmounted by three styles, which 

 are thicker at top than at bottom, and terminated by 

 thick swoln stigmas. This peculiar form, no doubt, 

 suggested the idea of their representing the three 

 nails of the cross. 



Thus you see, when this flower is stripped of all 

 that is fabulous, there is still enough left in it to ex- 

 cite our admiration. 



The fruit is, in all cases, a fleshy egg-shaped body, 

 containing a number of pulpy seeds ; but it varies 

 exceedingly in size and colour in different species. 

 In the common blue Passion-flower, it is about as 

 big as a hen's egg^ and orange-yellow ; in others, it 

 is smaller, and quite round (Jig. 3.) ; in others, it is 

 as large as a child's head. Fruit of the latter size are 

 sometimes cultivated for the sake of the sub-acid pulp 

 they contain, and are called Granadillas ; they are 

 more esteemed in tropical countries, where the 

 eatable fruits arc generally bad, than in England, 

 where we have so many really delicious fruits of 

 our own. 



If you were to look at the seed, you would say 

 it was merely covered by pul}) ; there is, how- 



