The Fruit and Seed
Dehiscent Fruits
1. Pod. 2. Siliqua. 3. Silicula. 4. Follicles(cluster of three). 5. Capsule splitting longitudinally. 6. Capsule splitting transversely. 7. Capsule splitting by pores.
After the ovules have been impregnated by the pollen they develop into seeds, each of which consists of or contains an embryo plant; and, at the same time, the ovary itself enlarges, changing its character more or less, till it becomes a ripened fruit.
Fruits vary very considerably in their general characters, but may be divided into two main groups—those that split when ripe (dehiscent fruits) and those which do not split (indehiscent fruits).
The principal forms of dehiscent fruits are:—
1. The pod or legume, which splits into two valves, with placenta on one side.
2. The siliqua, a long, narrow fruit that splits into two valves which separate from a membrane with placenta on both sides.
3. The silicula, of the same nature as the siliqua, but about as broad as it is long.