184 ESSENTIALS OF BOTANY 



Of what use are the sepals after drying up? Why do the fruits 

 cling to the plant long after ripening ? 



Carefully remove the sepals and examine the fruit within them. 

 What is its color, size, and shape ? Make a sketch of it as seen with 

 the magnifying glass. Note the three tufted stigmas attached by 

 slender threads to the apex of the fruit. What does their tufted 

 shape indicate ? 



What evidence is there that this seed-like fruit is not really a 

 seed? 



Make a cross-section of a fruit and notice whether the wall of 

 the ovary can be seen distinct from the seed-coats. Compare the 

 dock fruit in this respect with the fruit of the buttercup shown in 

 Fig. 136. Such a fruit as either of these is called an akene. 



