238 A TEXT-BOOK OF BOTANY 
ages are produced, as wings, tufts of hairs, ete., which assist 
in seed dispersal, a subject which will be considered later. 
143. Fruit.—Accompanying the changes in ovules in- 
volved in the formation of seeds, there are other changes 
in the surrounding parts resulting in the formation of a 
fruit. These changes may involve only the ovary wall, or 
they may include also other adjacent structures; but the 
whole resulting structure, whatever it may include, is called 
afruit. The fruits of Angiosperms are so exceedingly 
diverse that it will be possible to give only a very general 
outline of the various kinds. 
For convenience, those fruits will be considered first 
that represent only the enlarged and modified ovary. 
Such fruits may be placed in two groups: those that ripen 
dry and those that ripen fleshy. 
(1) Dry Fruits.—In these the ovary wall not only 
changes, but also usually becomes hard or parchment-like. 
Dry fruits may open to discharge their 
seeds, but often when there is only one 
seed in an ovary the fruit does not open. 
Thus there are two 
groups of dry fruits: 
the dehiscent (open- 
ing) and the indehis- 
cent (unopening). 
a. Dehiscent fruits. 
—Dry fruits that open 
are in general called 
pods, and usually they 
open by splitting, as 
the pods of peas and 
beans. The great fam- 
ily to which peas and 
Fig. 229.—Pod of sweet beans belong i is named Tic. 230. caauetd of 
pea dehiscing. — Af- . iris dehiscing.—After 
ter Gray, for its pod, being — Gray. 
