THE FBUIT 39 



The Pine trees and Cycads have their seeds quite naked on scales, and 

 are termed Gymnosperms (p. 122). 



Development of the Fruit. — Soon after the stigma of a carpel 

 has been fertilised it withers, and the ovary begins to enlarge, the 

 ovules which it contained now developing into seeds as the result of 

 fertilisation. Sometimes an ovary (or fruit) contains only one seed, 

 sometimes many, and there may be many ovaries in one flower, as in 

 the Strawberry (p. 1089), Raspberry (p. 1085) &c., each containing only 

 one seed ; or there may be few ovaries or only one, each containing 

 several seeds. In any case the ovary consists of one or more carpels 

 either separate and distinct, or united. 



"When ripe, some fruits open naturally and shed their seeds, and 

 are said to be dehiscent ; others never open, and the seeds are only 

 liberated by the rotting of the ovary walls. Such fruits are called 

 indehiscent. As many kinds of fruits are mentioned in the pages 

 of this work it may be as well to briefly define those best known. 



SOFT OR FLESHY FRUITS 



The Berry is a fruit which is soft throughout, the seeds being 

 imbedded in a pulp, as in the Gooseberry (see Glossary, fig. 14), Currant, 

 Grape, Tomato, and Orange (the latter having a leathery rind). The 

 Pepo or Gourd is a hard-skinned berry, such as the Cucumber, Marrow, 

 Melon. 



The Pome is a fleshy fruit like the berry, but the calyx is the 

 thickened edible portion in which is imbedded the cartilaginous ovary 

 known as the ' core ' in Apples, Pears, and Quinces (see Glossary, 

 fig. 88). 



The Drupe is the name of the fruit of Cherries, Peaches, Plums, 

 Almonds and Nectarines. The outer layer, often merely the skin, is 

 called the epicarp ; the middle layer or flesh the mesocarp ; the inner 

 layer or ' stone ' the endocarp (see Glossary, fig. 52) 



In the Blackberry and Easpberry the fruit consists of a collection 

 of small drupes and is called an etcerio. The fruit of the Mulberry, 

 like that of the Blackberry in appearance, is the product not of one 

 flower but of several crowded on a short stalk. 



HARD OR DRY FRUITS 



The Achene is a small dry indehiscent one-seeded fruit, well seen 

 in Buttercups and Strawberries. In the latter they are popularly 

 regarded as ' seeds.' The juicy edible pulp is in reality the swollen top 

 or receptacle of the flower stalk (see Glossary, fig. 1) . 



