THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 
35 
proved to me that the average college student soon catches on 
to the trick of naming them and considers it great fun. To 
think that a mere half-fruit, properly known as a "seed" is 
sufficient material with which to certainly name an unknown 
plant, stimulates his curiosity and desire. Marked attention 
is always given to these interesting plants. 
We will now consider their peculiar fruits or schizocarps, 
which in ripening from the bi-carpellary ovary, form two 
mericarps, each the reflection of the other. The student trac- 
ing the plant, first settles whether it has simple or compound 
umbels or heads. Next, he considers the external aspects of 
the fruit as a whole, its shape, number of ribs, etc. Some of 
these ribs may extend into flattened single or double wings. 
A typical fruit has both primary and secondary ribs ; these are 
distinguished by situation. The first primary is on the middle 
of the back of each carpel. Where the two carpels adjoin is 
known as the comuiissurc. In ripening the halves separate 
and hang apart on a branching hair-like process, the gynopliore. 
Lying between or under the ribs, or in both situations, and 
may be also on the commissure, are channels, running longi- 
tudinally in the substance of the carpel, and filled with a 
volatile, fragrant oil. These are known as vittae or oil tubes. 
As the number and relative prominence of ribs, wings, and oil 
tubes are positively distinctive of the different genera, they 
must be closely observed. For this purpose, a mericarp is 
sectioned cross-wise, when the ribs appear as prominences and 
the oil tubes as brown or darkened dots. This section, too, 
brings out another all-important feature, namely the shape 
of the contained seed, which is flat or flatish, or round; or 
else semilunar or crescentic in outline. 
The beginner must definitely bear in mind that the zvhole 
object is the fruit; that half of it is a mericarp, and that one 
seed, observed only in section, lies in each half. He must 
rid himself of the confusing notion that the caraway or anise 
