THE FRUIT 67 
The Acorn Nut. The fruit of the Oak tree is called an 
acorn. Its lower part is inclosed in a cup. If the shell be 
removed, the nut will be found to contain a single seed 
only, which consists of two large fleshy cotyledons. 
SIMPLE FRUITS (FLESHY). 
The Apple. ‘The fruit of the Apple is simple, for it is 
the product of a single ovary; it is also fleshy and of 
varying shape. Its skin is smooth and tough, and varies in 
colour with the season of the year and the kind of apple. 
A tough stalk made of woody fibres supports the fruit 
which shows a deep depression where the stalk is attached, 
Fig. 54.—Fruit of Apple. A, Section through Apple from stalk to crown. 
B, Cross section. 
0, outer layer of covering; m, middle layer; 7, inner layer; s, seed. 
and a shallower one on the opposite: surface, both being 
circular in shape. Projecting from the bottom of the 
upper and smaller depression is a tuft of small withered 
leaves—these are really the remains of the sepals which 
originally enclosed the flower. Inside the skin is the fleshy 
pulp, and in the centre of the fruit is the compartment 
which contains the seeds. It is five chambered, surrounded 
by a tough skin, and with the enclosed seeds is known as 
the core. The five chambers of the core represent the 
carpels of the pistil. 
