THE SYCONIUM 



125 



The Silique (Fig. 354). — A di-carpellary dehiscent fruit, the two valves 

 separating from the margins of the placentae at maturity, leaving the 

 latter attached to the torus and to a false septum, which divides the 

 silique into two parts. The principal modification of the silique proper 

 is into the loment-like form which we have already considered. These 

 loment-producing plants are commonly found in the vicinity of water, 

 and their fruits are adapted to transportation by this method. A more 

 important modification is into: 



The Silicle (Figs. 355 to 357). — This differs from the silique not onlj^ 

 in being short and broad, but in possessing ordinarily some form of 

 adaptation to wind or other transportation, thus belonging in our first 

 class. 



The Capsule (Figs. 318 to 238). — The typical capsule is to be defined 

 as a di- to polycarpellary longitudinally dehiscent fruit. From the 

 typical form, however, it varies in several directions to such a degree 



SSSf. 



J60. 



J6i 



J6Z 



J63. 



Fig. 359. Galbalus of Juniperus. 360. Strobile of Picea. 361. Strobile of hop. 362. Syconium of 



fig. 363. Pyxis of henbane. 



as to render it impossible to frame a perfect definition. The capsule 

 of the poppy (Fig. 358) opens by a number of small pores at the summit, 

 and this is true of many other forms. In other cases the mode of opening 

 is by various forms of irregular dehiscence intermediate between the 

 longitudinal and the circumscissile. Finally, we must note that many 

 fruits, like those of some species of Passiflora, which possess no regular 

 or natural method of opening, are still classed as capsules by systematic 

 botanists. 



The Pyxis (Fig. 363). — A circumscissily dehiscent fruit. 



The Syconium (Fig. 362). — A fruit consisting of a hollow branch, 

 becoming fleshy, its inner surface the receptacle for many small, 

 one-seeded, akene-like fruits. 



