Seed Plants : Angiosperms 



3^3 



sepals, and many stamens. The fruits are fleshy, and in 

 many species they are edible. The group is of particular 

 interest to the horticulturist, 

 as it includes most of our im- 

 portant tree and shrub fruits, 

 as well as many beautiful 

 wild and cultivated flowering 

 plants. Among the fruits in- 

 cluded are strawberries, rasp- 

 berries, dewberries, and black- 

 berries ; apples, pears, and 

 quinces ; and peaches, plums, 

 cherries, prunes, and almonds. 

 All these cultivated fruits, as 

 compared with their wild an- 

 cestors, have been improved 

 in flavor and greatly increased 

 in size and productiveness. 



The legume family. The 

 legumes received their name 

 from the peculiar fruit or pod which contains the seeds. 

 Typical legumes are the pea and the bean. In the best-known 

 members of the family the flower has one large upper petal 

 which stands erect, two lateral petals forming wings, and two 

 lower petals united and inclosing the pistil and stamens. 

 The sweet pea shows the typical flower form. 



There are several reasons for the great importance of the 

 legume family: (i) beans, soy beans, and peas furnish food 

 material that contains a high percentage of protein; (2) 

 all legumes, through the aid of bacteria in their root nodules, 

 accumulate nitrogen compounds (page 258) ; (3) clover, 



Fig. 186. Sweet pea, and a vertical 

 section of tlie flower. 



