264 



LUSSON'S WITS PLANTS 



Fig. 252. 



Dehiscence of 



azalea. 



Fig. 250. It is obviously 2-loculed, but the cap- 

 sule has split down each side midway between the 

 partitions or dissepi- 

 ments. That is, each 

 valve contains half of 

 two carpels. 



313. In the capsule 

 of the castor- oil bean 

 Fig. 251. (Fig. 251) , the three 



Pod of ca.stor-oii carpcls havc separated 



bean after dehis- j^^^ ^^^^ ^^j^^ ^^^ 



cence. ' 



each carpel must dehisce 

 before the seed is liberated. The 

 outer prickly coat breaks away, usually in six 

 pieces. The large lobed carpels are then dis- 

 closed. A similar dehiscence has taken place in 

 the azalea (Fig. 252), but here the seeds are lib- 

 erated by the primary splitting of the pod, and the 

 central shaft, with which the carpels were united, 

 remains. The dissepiments are seen on the very 

 edges of the' five valves. Each valve in the castor- 

 bean and azalea represents a complete carpel. 



313a. These two methods of dehiscence of compound pods (or 

 capsules) are characteristic types. The former (312) is known as 

 looulioidal dehiscence, — the splitting of the walls between the car- 

 pellar dissepiments, and directly opening up the loonies. The latter 

 method (313) is septicidal, — the ' breaking up of the capsule into 

 its component carpels, or at least into parts which represent these 

 carpels ; and, in some eases, each carpel again dehisces before the 

 seeds can be discharged. 



