Berries.—The gooseberry ([Fig. 142]) is a type of this class of fruit. It contains several seeds. The pericarp is thick and fleshy before the fruit is ripe, but during ripening the greater part of it becomes a soft, sweet pulp in which the seeds are embedded. The rest of the pericarp is a membranous skin. Grapes, currants, oranges, and vegetable marrow fruits are also berries. The vegetable marrow has obviously a general resemblance to a half-ripe gooseberry but is on a much larger scale.
Fig. 142.—A, Gooseberry; B, longitudinal section; C, cross section. (× ⅔.)
The apple.—In the apple ([Fig. 143]) we have an example of a fruit in the formation of which the receptacle has taken a large share. Even in the flower, the five carpels of the pistil are buried in the receptacle, and as the seeds (pips) ripen, the receptacle swells until it composes the greater part of the fruit and at last becomes sweet and fleshy. The carpels with the contained seeds constitute the core. The withered sepals are still to be seen at the top of the fruit. The structure of the pear is quite similar to that of the apple.
Fig. 143.—A, Apple; B, longitudinal section; C, cross section. (× ⅓.)