FRUIT AND SEED

MORPHOLOGY
 Fruits
Fruits are a unique structure found
only in angiosperms. Fruits develop
from the ovary of the flower and
may, in addition, include various
accessory structures that derive
from other parts of the flower or
influorescence.
The two major functions of fruits
are :

(i) to protect the ovules as

they mature into seeds,

and

(ii) To aid in seed dispersal

FLOWER STRUCTURE FRUIT STRUCTURE
ovary fruit (pericarp)
ovule seed
integuments seed coat
zygote embryo (in the seed)
endosperm central cell (in the seed)
 Pericarp = the fruit wall. There are three layers, but they are
not always distinguishable:

1. Endocarp - inner layer

2. Mesocarp - middle layer
3. Exocarp - outer layer.
 THE FRUIT

• Matured or ripened ovary

• Protection and distribution
(dispersal) of seeds
• Ovary wall = tissue of fruits
 FRUIT PARTS
1. Pericarp
Fruit wall, developed from ovary wall

a. Ectocarp or exocarp or epicarp -

Outermost layer of pericarp

b. Mesocarp - Middle layer

c. Endocarp - Innermost differentiated

layer of pericarp
 Epicarp/Exocarp
• Thin layer, outermost
• Skin of fruits
 Mesocarp
• Middle part
• Pulpy or fleshy – mango, peach,
plum
 exocarp
endocarp

mesocarp
 Endocarp
• Thin and membranous – orange
• Hard and stony – palms, mango

epicarp

mesocarp pericarp
endocarp
(juice sac)
 embryo

endosperm epicarp
mesocarp
endocarp
 exocarp

mesocarp
endocarp
 Fruit Types
1. Simple
Derived from a single ovary in a single flower
2. Aggregate
Derived from many ovaries of a single flower
Flower bud Aggregate fruit

Berry – Rubus sp.

3. Multiple fruits
Derived from ovaries of several flowers on a common axis
Pineapple - Ananas cosmosus
Noni / mengkudu - Morinda citrifolia
 TYPE OF SIMPLE FRUITS

A. Pericarp dry and dehiscent

• Fruit – dry
• Fruit split or open at maturity

B. Pericarp dry and indehiscent

• Fruit dry but do not split at maturity

C. Pericarp fleshy
• Fruit – juicy, fleshy or with juice sac
 A. Pericarp dry and dehiscent

1. Legume or pod
SUTURE
Family Fabaceae.
From single
carpel, dehisces
along both
suture.
2. Follicle - Develops from a single carpel
and opens along one suture

Magnolia grandiflora
Milkweed – Asclepias sp.
 3. Capsule
Derives from compound carpels and with
few to many seeds. Dehisces in various
ways

Cotton – Gossypium sp. Poppy – Papaver somniferum

Capsule orchid
4. Silique – Family Brassicaraceae. Superior ovary,
two locules, dehisces along two sutures, central
persistent partition
 B. Pericarp dry and indehiscent
1. Achene – One seeded, attached to fruit wall
at one point, fruit derived from a one-
loculed superior ovary

seed

ACHENE
2. Caryopsis – One seeded with seed coat
adnate/stick to the fruit wall. Poaceae family

Grass Rice
3. Nut – One seeded, hard pericarp
derived from a one-loculed ovary.

Hazel nut
4. Samara – With outgrowth of the
ovary wall, which forms a wing-like
structure
CARPEL
6. Schizocarp – consisting of two carpels that
splits, when mature along the midline into
two one seeded indehiscent halves.
Umbelliferae family : Carrot (Daucus sp)
 C. Pericarp fleshy
1. Berry – Compound ovary. Many seeds (ovules),
fleshy, difficult to differentiated between endocarp
and mesocarp

locule

axis

pericarp

placenta
2. Hesperidum – type of berry, thick leathery
rind/peel (skin), numerous oil glands, thick juicy
sac. Peel is exocarp and mesocarp outgrowth from
endocarp wall

exocarp

mesocarp pericarp
endocarp
(juice sac)
3. Pepo – Berry from inferior ovary. Outer
wall (rind) consist of receptacle tissue that
fused with exocarp. The flesh is mesocarp
and endocarp.
4. Pome – Berrylike fruit derived from inferior
ovary. Flesh, enlarged hypanthium and the
core derived from ovary. Rosaceae family

(receptacle)
Apple – Malus sp.
5. Drupe – Derived from a single carpel and
usually one-seeded. Hard endocarp.
Exocarp thin and mesocarp forms the
fibrous material.
Coconut – Cocos nucifera
 SEED MORPHOLOGY
SEED PARTS
1. Aril – Outgrowth of funiculus, raphe or
interguments or fleshy interguments or
seed coat, a sarcotesta
2. Chalaza – funiculur end of seed body
3. Embryo – Young sporophyte, consist of
epicotyl, hypocotyl, radicle and one or
more cotyledone
4. Endosperm – food reserve tissue is seed
5. Hilum – funiculur end on a seed
coat
6. Microphyle – hole through seed coat
7. Raphe – ridge on seed coat form
from adnate funiculus
8. Seed coat – outer protective layer or
cover of seed
chalaza

nucellus

raphe embryo sac

intergument

funiculus
 EMBRYO PARTS
1. Coleoptile – protective sheath around
epicotyl in grasses
2. Coleorhiza – protective sheath
around radcile in grasses
3. Cotyledone – embryonic leaf or
leaves in seed
4. Epicotyl – apical end of embryo axis
that gives rise to shoot system
MONOCOTYLEDONOUS
SEED

scutellum
Coleoptile
5. Hypocotyle – embryonic stem in
seed, below cotyledone
6. Plumule – embryonic leaf or
leaves in seed, derived from
epicotyl
7. Radicle – basal end of embryo
axis that gives rise to root system
DICOTYLEDONOUS SEED
HILUM
Sarcotesta of rambutan – Nephelium lappaceum
ARIL
 TYPE OF GERMINATIONS

1. Epigeal germination
► Cotyledones are pushed upwards by
rapid elongation of the hypocotyl
► epi (upon) ge (earth)

► Cotyledones becomes flat (look like leaf)

► Cotyledones dries up and fall
2. Hypogeal germination
► Cotyledones remain in the soil
► Epicotyl pushes the plumule upwards

► Hypo (below) ge (earth)