312 DEHISCENT APOCARPOUS FEUITS. 



generally pulpy and succulent, so as to be truly a sarcocarp (ffaf|, 

 flesh), as in the Peach, but it is sometimes of a tough texture, as in 

 the Almond, and at other times more or less fibrous. There is thus a 

 transition from the Drupe to the Nut. Moreover, in the Almond, 

 there are often two ovules formed, only one of which comes to per- 

 fection. In the Walnut, the endocarp, which is easily separable into 

 two, forms prolongations which enter into the interior, and cause the 

 brain-Uke divisions in the seed. It has been sometimes called Tryma. 

 In the Kaspberry and Bramble several drupes or drupels are aggre- 

 gated so as to constitute an Etcerio (sra/gos, a companion). This name is 

 also given by some to the aggregate achenes of the Strawberry and Eose. 

 Dehiscent Apocahpotjs Feuits. — These open in various ways, 

 and usually contain more than one seed, being either few-seeded, 

 oligospermous {okiyog, few, and eiri^iia, a seed), or many-seeded, poly- 

 spermous (woXue, many). 



Follicle {folliculus, a fittle bag). — This is a mature car- 

 pel, containing several seeds, and opening by the ventral 

 suture (figs. 539, p. 303 ; 564). It is rare to meet with a 

 solitary follicle forming the fruit. There are usually several 

 aggregated together, either in a circular manner on a short- 

 ened receptacle, as in Hellebore, Aconite, Delphinium, 

 Orassulaoese (fig. 282, p. 191), Butomus (fig. 415, p. 238), 

 and Asclepiadaceee ; or in a spiral manner on an elongated 

 receptacle, as in Magnolias, Banksias, and Liriodendron (fig. 

 Kg. 664. 337^ p_ 213). Occasionally, some of the follicles open by the 

 dorsal suture, as in Magnolia grandifiora and Banksia. 



The Legume or Pod {legwmen, pulse) is a solitary, simple, mature 

 carpel, dehiscing by the ventral and dorsal suture, and bearing seeds 

 on the former. It characterises leguminous plants, and is seen in the 

 Bean and Pea (fig. 565). In the Bladder-senna (fig. 566) it retains 

 its leaf-like appearance, and forms an inflated legume. In some 

 Leguminosse, as Arachis and Cathartocarpus Fistula (fig. 429, p. 244), 

 and the Tamarind, the fruit must be considered a legume, although it 

 does not dehisce. The first of these plants produces its fruit under- 

 ground, and is called earth-nut ; the second has a partitioned legume ; 

 and both the second and third have pulpy matter surrounding the 

 seeds. In place of opening at the sutures, some legumes are contracted 

 at intervals so as to include each seed in a separate cell, and when 

 ripe, the difierent divisions of the pod separate from each other. This 

 constitutes the Lomentum (lomentum, bean-meal) or lomentaceou^ legume 

 of Hedysarum coronarium (fig. 556, p. 307), CoroniUas, Ornithopus, 

 Entada, and some Acacias. In Medicago the legume is twisted like 

 a snail (fig. 567), and in Csesalpinia coriaria, or Divi-divi, it is ver- 



Fig. 664. Foniole or dehiscent many-seeded carpel of AquUegla vtilgaris. Columbine. 

 The follicle dehisces by the ventral suture only. 



