454 



RELATION TO ENVIRONMENT. 



IV. Fleshy and Juicy Fruits. 



882. The drupe, or stone-fruit. — In the plum, cherry, peach, 

 apricot, etc., the outer portion (exocarp) of the pericarp (ovary) 

 becomes fleshy, while the inner portion (endocarjj) becomes hard 

 and stony, and encloses the seed, or "pit." Such a fruit is known 

 as a drupe, or as a stone-fruit. In the almond the fleshy part 

 of the fruit is removed. 



883. The raspberry and blackberry. — \Miile these fruits are 



Fig. 477- 

 Drupe, or stone-fruit, of plum. 



known popularly as "berries," they are not berries in the tech- 

 nical sense. Each ovarv, or pericarp, in the flower forms a single 

 small fruit, the outer portion being tleshy and the inner ston}-, just 

 as in the cherry or plum. It is a drnpdcl (little drupe). All of 

 the drupelets together make the "berr\'," and as thev ripen the 

 separate drupelets cohere more or less. It is a collection, or 

 aggregation, of fruits, and consccjuenth- thev are sometimes called 

 rollcctive jnil/s, or (ii;i;)-ri^iilc jniits. In the raspherrv the fruit 

 separates from tlie i-ece])lai le, lea\'ing the latter on the stem, 

 while the drupelets of the l)lackl)err\' and de\vberr^■ adhere to 

 the receptacle and the latter separates from the stem. 



