THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM 351 



ovary is the pericarp ' which may be dry as in marsh-marigold 

 and nearly all the other genera, or may be fleshy as in bane- 

 berries. When the pericarp opens to release the seeds it is 

 said to be dehiscent,- and the manner of opening, its dehis- 

 cence. The pericarp of marsh-marigold dehisces by a vertical 

 slit, or suture ■' along the ventral or inner side, /. e,, the side 

 toward the axis of the flower. A dr3r fruit consisting of one 

 carpel dehiscing by the ventral or by the dorsal suture alone 

 is called a follicle.' For other examples see Figs. 282, 287. 

 A dry pericarp consisting of two or more carpels is termed a 

 capsule.^ The fruit of fennel-flowers (Fig. 286j is a capsule 

 in which each carpel dehisces by a short ventral suture near 

 the top. A further peculiarity of the pericarp of the species 

 illustrated is that except where the carpels are united, the 

 AA'all separates into an outside and an inside layer, leaving a 

 considerable empty space between. 



Pericarps which do not open are said to be indehiscent. A 

 small, dry, indehiscent fruit, like that of crowfoots, anemonies, 

 and mouse-tails is termed an achene.'- A fruit like that of 

 baneberries in which the whole pericarp is fleshy, is a berry. 



In a seed, as we have seen (page 316), there is an outer pro- 

 tective layer, the seed-coat, enclosing the embryo and the 

 seed-food or albumen. In marsh-marigold (Fig. 185) the 

 seed-coat is of unequal thickness, the embryo minute and 

 situated near one end of a comparatively large amount of 

 albumen. Seeds essentially similar are found in the other 

 members of the family. 



In every part of the marsh-marigold, as we have seen 

 (page 208), there is a colorless juice which is of sharp taste 

 and poisonous properties if eaten fresh and raw. Such an 

 acrid, watery juice containing a more or less poisonous, usually 

 volatile, principle, is generally present throughout the family. 

 Crowfoots, anemonies, and monkshoods, will be remem- 



' Pcr'-i-carp < Gr. -peri, around; karpos, fruit. 



- De-liis'-cent < L. dehiscere, yawn. 



' Su'-ture < L. sutura, a seam. 



■■ Fol'-li-cle < folliculus, dim. of folUs, a wind bag. 



5 Cap'-sule < L. capsula, dim. of capsd, a box. 



° A-chene' < Gr. a, not; chainein, yawn. 



