WEEK 5

SUBJECT: BIOLOGY

TOPIC: FRUIT

CONTENT: 1. Structure of fruits

2. Types of fruits
3. Dispersal of fruits
4. Agents of dispersal

SUB-TOPIC I: MEANING OF FRUIT

Fruit is the structure that developed from the matured ovary after fertilization which contains
the seed. Some fruits do not develop from fertilized ovary and are called parthenocarpic fruit.

Fruit contains the pericarp (epicarp, mesocarp and endocarp).

Structure of a fruit

Fruits

Simple Aggregate Multiple

Dry Dehiscent Dry Indehiscent Fleshy

Legume or pod Achene Drupe

Follicle Cypsela Berry
Capsule Caryopsis Pome
Schizocarp Nut Hesperidium
Siliqua Samara

TYPES OF FRUITS
Fruits can be classified based on their origin or structure. These include:
i. True and false fruit
ii. Simple, aggregate and composite (multiple) fruit
iii. Fleshy and dry fruit
iv. Dehiscent and indehiscent fruits

Simple fruits: Formed from one flower having either a monocarpous or syncarpous pistil.
Aggregate fruits: Formed from one flower having an apocarpous pistil
Multiple fruits: these are fruits formed from many flowers whose ovaries unite together with
other parts of the flower after fertilization or one that develops from several flowers
inflorescence e.g. pineapple, bread fruit etc.

SIMPLE FRUITS
The simple fruits can be divided into dry and fleshy fruits. A dry fruit is the type of fruit in
which the pericarp becomes dry, hard and woody or fibrous when the fruit ripens. Dry fruit
may be dehiscent or indehiscent.

DRY DEHISCENT FRUIT: These are fruit with hard and dry pericarp which can split to
release their seeds. The dry dehiscent fruit can be divided into five namely: the follicle,
legumes, schizocarps, capsule and Siliqua
Follicle: The follicle are fruits that are formed from one carpel and which can split along one
side only e.g. kola
Legume: These are fruits that are formed from one carpel that splits along two sides e.g.
cowpea, crotolaria and all bean species
Capsule: These are fruits formed from fused carpels and split longitudinally along two or more
lines e.g. okra, castor oil and cotton
Schizocarps: These are many seeded fruits which break up into one seeded parts called
mericarp e.g. Mimosa pudica (sensitive plant) and Desmodium
Siliqua: A long narrow capsule formed from bicapellary ovary. It has two chambers separated
by a false septum or reptum. It dehisces by the sutures e.g. Teconia

DRY INDEHISCENT FRUITS: These are the fruits that do not split to release their seeds.
Dry indehiscent fruits are divided into five.
Achene: The fruit has dry pericarp and contain one seed e.g. cashew, nut, sunflower fruit, four
O’clock plant, rose and clematis
Caryopsis: the caryopsis is a one-seeded dry indehiscent fruit in which the pericarp becomes
fused with testa. Examples are rice, maize and millet
Cypsela: the cypsela is one-seeded dry fruit with hairy pappus and hairy pericarp. Examples
are Tridax, Emilia and goat weed.
Nut: A nut is a dry fruit with a very hard or woody or tough pericarp e.g. the hard part of
cashew fruit, ground nut, palm nut and cola nut, walnut, and almond.
Samara: A samara has the pericarp extended to form one or more wings e.g. Combretum,
Obeche tree and pterocarpous (African rose wood)
FLESHY FRUITS: Fleshy fruits are juicy, succulent and indehiscent. They store large
quantities of water and carbohydrate in their tissue. There are six main types of fleshy fruits
namely:
Drupe: This is a true simple fruit with a well-developed pericarp. The epicarp is thin, the
mesocarp is fleshy or fibrous and the endocarp is hard and stony. The latter encloses one or
more seeds. The hard endocarp with its seed is known as the stone of the fruit e.g. mango,
coconut and oil palm fruit.
Berry: A berry is a true simple fruit with a well-developed pericarp. The endocarp is not stony
as in drupe. The endocarp is usually a thin membrane covering which is closely attached to
fleshy mass made up of the mesocarp and endocarp. Sometimes the whole fruit is eaten.
Examples are guava, tomatoes, banana, lemon grape, cucumber date.
Pome: A Pome is a simple false fruit. Examples are apples and pears. In a Pome, the outer
covering and the fleshy edible part are formed by the swelling of the receptacle. Only the core
is formed from the ovary.
Hesperidium: A Hesperidium is a true simple fruit made up of chambers separated by a sheet
of endocarp. The epicarp and mesocarp are fused together in form of a skin (or rind) e.g. orange,
lemon, etc.

Differences between fruit and seed

Fruit Seed
1. Formed from ovary Formed from ovule
2. has two scars or points: Has one scar or point
-the remains of style or stigma -where it was attached to the placenta
-where it was attached to the floral
receptacle
3. Consist of a seed or seeds Consist of an embryo
4. Has pericarp Has testa

Differences between drupe and berry

Drupe Berry
1. Pericarp consists of epicarp, fleshy Pericarp also consist of three layers but
mesocarp and hard endocarp the endocarp is fleshy
2. Entire fruit is not eaten Entire fruit is eaten
3. Developed from flower with superior Developed from flowers with either
ovaries superior or inferior ovaries
4. One-seeded Several seeds
5. examples are mango, coconut, oil palm Examples are tomato, guava, banana,
fruit cucumber

EVALUATION:
1. Define the term fruit.
2. Differentiate between fruit and seed
3. List various kinds of fruits, sort the fruit and classify them
4. What are the three major classes of fruits?

SUB-TOPIC 2: DISPERSAL OF FRUITS AND SEEDS

After the formation and maturation of fruits and seeds, they sometimes fall from the parents to
the ground. The number of seeds produced by a single plant is often very large. Most of them
perish while some are eaten by animals.
Others may fall on the ground already occupied or unfavourable to the particular plant. When
seedlings develop close to the parent plant, they soon become overcrowded. They compete
among themselves and the parent plant for light, water, mineral salts and other essential soil
constituent so that the strongest seedlings finally survive.
To prevent this, fruits and seeds of most plants are adapted so that they can be scattered far
away from the parents, hence fruits and seeds are dispersed.

milkweed; wind dispersal of seeds

ADVANTAGES OF DISPERSAL OF FRUITS AND SEEDS

i. Prevent overcrowding.
ii. Reduce degree of unhealthy competition between plants.
iii. Introduction of plant species into new environment where they may be better adapted.
iv. The dispersal of fruits and seeds also helps to cover barren pieces of land with
vegetation.

EVALUATION
1. Why is dispersal necessary in flowering plants?
2. State three advantages of dispersal of fruits and seeds.

SUB-TOPIC 3: AGENTS OF DISPERSAL

The common agents that bring about dispersal are;
i. Wind
ii. Animal
iii. Water
 iv. Man
v. Explosive mechanisms or explosion

i. By Wind: Fruits/seeds carried by the wind or air current must be light, small and have light
membranous wings and also having long hairy or thread-like structures which act as parachutes
in the air.
Wind dispersal is a wasteful process because a great number of seeds may be dropped on sterile
or unstable ground or may be carried out into the sea e.g. cotton, poppy, clematics, shorea and
augsana, tridax fruit and also Bouganvillea.

ii. By Animal: Animals like birds, fruit bats and monkeys may be agents of dispersal of fruits
and seeds. Many animals feed on the soft succulent fruits but they either discard the strong
protected seed of berries, the stony endocarp of drupes and achene or they may swallow them.
In the latter case, many of the hardened parts are resistant to enzymes that they pass through
the gut without harm and when later dropped can germinate successfully e.g. guava, tomato.
Fruits and seeds may be carried externally on an animal’s body by reason of the fact that special
hooks or spines which catch in the fur or wool (hairy coats of animals e.g. Desmodium)

iii. Dispersal by Water: The seed of certain water lilies have air spaces in the pericarp which
give the buoyancy required in water. Coconut fruit achieves dispersal of its single seed by
floating to new location.

iv. Dispersal by Man: Dispersal of many fruits and seeds have been aided by the agricultural
practices of man e.g. guava, sweet potato and cassava which are native to tropical America
now found in all tropical areas in the world.
Seeds of weeds are accidentally transported from one part of the world to another by man’s
activities.

v. Dispersal by Explosive Mechanism (Self Dispersal): when the fruit wall dries as in the
African oil bean, it splits and twists throwing the seed out. The legumes of many bean plants
e.g. (Acacia and Ceasalpinia) burst open when ripe. This is by the drying up of the pericarp
which causes contraction and splitting e.g. fruit of legumes, pride of Barbados and capsules
(fruit of okra-Hibiscus esculentus)

EVALUATION:
1. State four agents of dispersal and explain two of them
2. Why is dispersal necessary in flowering plants?

OBJECTIVE TEST:
1. Which of the following is not a dry indehiscent fruit? (a) legume (b) cypsela (c) samara (d)
caryopsis
2. An example of berry is (a) tomato (b) coconut (c) apple (d) pineapple
3. Which of the following is a simple dry dehiscent fruit? (a) berry (b) drupe (c) caryopsis (d)
achene
4. A dehiscent fruit formed from several fused carpels with many seeds is classified as (a) an
achene (b) a follicle (c) a legume (d) a nut
5. Air spaces are characteristics of seeds or fruits dispersed by (a) birds (b) water (c) wind (d)
explosive mechanism (e) man
WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT:
1. Write short notes on true and false fruits
2. Draw and label a longitudinal section of a named fruit, 10 – 12cm long.

SUGGESTED PRACTICAL
1. Arrange the following fruits into either simple or aggregate fruit group: beans, orange,
tomato, kola and strawberry
2. Classify orange, mango, pride of Barbados, cashew, apple, pineapple, okra, cotton seed as
follows
i. Fleshy fruits
ii. Dehiscent fruits
iii. False fruits
iv. Indehiscent fruits
v. Multiple fruits