INDEHISCENT APOCAEPOUS' FRUITS. 



309 



duct of several flowers combined. In the former case they are 

 either apocarpous {pLnro, separate, and xagwSg, fruit), or dialycarpous 

 (biaXba, I part asunder), that is, composed of one mature carpel, or 

 of several separate free carpels ; or syncarpous (guv, together), that is, 

 composed of several carpels, more or less completely united. These 

 different kinds of fruits may be indehiscent (not opening), or dehiscent 

 (opening). When the fruit is composed of the ovaries of several 

 flowers united, it is usual to find the bracts and floral envelopes also 

 joined with them, so as to form one mass ; hence such fruits are 

 called multiple or anthocarpous (avhi, flower, and xagTos, fruit). The 

 term simple is perhaps properly applied to fruits which are formed by 

 the ovary of a single flower, whether they are composed of one or 

 several carpels, and whether these carpels are separate or combined. 

 Simple fruits are hence sometimes denominated MonogyruBcial (fiSvog, 

 one, yunj, pistil, and olxiov, habitation), as being formed by one gynoe- 

 cium ; while multiple fruits are called polygyncecial (toXvi, many) as 

 being formed by many gynoecia. 



Simple or Monogyruxcial Fruits which are the produce 

 of a Single Flower. 



Apocarpous Fruits. — These fruits are formed out of one or 

 several free carpels. They are either dry or succulent ; the pericarp, 

 in the former instance, remaining more or less foliaceous in its struc- 

 ture, and sometimes becoming incorporated with the seed ; in the 

 latter, becoming thick and fleshy, or pulpy. Some of these do not 

 open when ripe, but fall entire, the pericarp either decaying, and thus 

 allowing the seeds ultimately to escape, as is common in fleshy fruits, 

 or remaining united to the seed, and being ruptured irregularly when 

 the young plant begins to grow ; such fruits are indehiscent. Other 

 apocarpous fruits, when mature, open spontaneously to discharge the 

 seeds, and are dehiscent. 



Indehiscent Apocarpous Fruits, when formed of a single mature 

 carpel, frequently contain only one seed, being thus monospermous (fiomg, 

 one, and d'jrig/jita, seed). In some 

 instances there may have been 

 only one ovule originally, in /^^^BB, I 



others two, one of which has ^^ mlMk v^J-^iL-, 

 become abortive. 



The Aclicenium (a, privative, 

 and ^oilvat, 1 open) is a dry 

 monospermous fruit, the pericarp 

 of which is closely applied to the ^'g-. 559. Pig. seo. 



Fig. 559. Achjeniuiii or indehiscent monospermous carpel from the pistil of a Ranunculus. 

 Pig. 660. 1, Similar aohsenium, with rough points on the pericarp, from the pistil of Ranun- 

 culus muricatus. 2, Aehsenium cut transversely to fehow the seed, g, not adherent to the 

 parietes. 



