Fruits

Devaki N.S.
19.12.2022
• Fruit is a mature and ripened ovary of a flowering plant, enclosing the
seed or seeds (seeds are fertilised and matured ovules)
• Development without fertilization, called parthenocarpy, is known, for
example, in bananas
• Popularly, however, the term is restricted to the ripened ovaries that
are sweet and either succulent or pulpy
• Fruits are important sources of dietary fibre, vitamins
(especially vitamin C), and antioxidants.
• Used for Wax (bay berries) preparation on a commercial scale
• Source of medicine (morphine from poppy)
2. Classification Of Fruits
• Simple Fruits: These fruits are made up of only one carpel or more
than one carpel of a flower with or without the participation of
accessory parts
• Aggregate Fruits: These fruits are made up of a cluster or aggregate
of numerous distinct pistils borne on a single flower
• Multiple Fruits or Composite Fruit
Multiple fruits refer to when a complete inflorescence matures into a
single fruit
 • Types of fruits

Major Subtypes One carpel 2 or more carpel

types
Dry Dehiscent follicle—at maturity, the carpel splits capsule—from compound ovary,
down one side, usually the ventral seeds shed in various ways—
suture; milkweed,  e.g., through holes (Papaver—
poppies)
legume—dehisces along both dorsal silique—from bicarpellate,
and ventral sutures, forming two compound, superior ovary;
valves; most members of the pea pericarp separates as two halves
family from the base towards apex
leaving persistent central
septum with seed or seeds
attached; mustard, mouse ear
cress
Majo Subty One carpel 2 or more carpel
r pes
types
Dry inde peanut fruit—(nontypical legume) nut—like the achene (see below);
hisc derived from 2 or more carpels,
ent pericarp hard or stony; hazelnut,
acorn, chestnut
lomentum—a legume fragmentizing transversely schizocarp—collectively, the
into single-seeded "mericarps"; sensitive plant product of a compound ovary
(Mimosa) fragmentizing at maturity into a
number of one-seeded "mericarps";
maple, mallows, members of the
mint family (Lamiaceae or
Labiatae), geraniums, carrots, dills,
fennels
achene—small single-seeded fruit, pericarp
relatively thin; seed free in cavity except for its
funicular attachment; buttercup, anemones,
buckwheat, crowfoot, water plantain
Majo Subty One carpel 2 or more carpel
r pes
types
cypsela—achenelike, but from inferior
compound ovary; members of the aster
family (Asteraceae or Compositae),
sunflowers
samara—a winged achene; elm, ash,
tree-of-heaven, wafer ash
caryopsis—achene like; from compound
ovary; seed coat fused with pericarp;
grass family (Poaceae or Graminae)
Major types One carpel 2 or more carpel

fleshy(pericarp drupe—mesocarp fleshy,

partly or wholly endocarp hard and stony; usually
fleshy or fibrous) single-seeded; plum, peach,
almond, cherry, olive, coconut
berry—both mesocarp and
endocarp fleshy; one-seeded:
nutmeg, date; one carpel, several
seeds: baneberry, may apple,
barberry, Oregon grape; more
carpels, several seeds: grape,
tomato, potato, asparagus
pepo—berry with hard rind;
squash, cucumber, pumpkin,
watermelon
hesperidium—berry with leathery
rind; orange, grapefruit, lemon
Major types two or more carpels of the same flower plus carpels from several
stem axis or floral tube flowers plus stem axis or
floral tube plus accessory
parts
Fleshy(pericarp pome—accessory fruit from multiple fruits—fig
partly or wholly compound inferior ovary; only (a "syconium"),
fleshy or fibrous) central part of fruit represents mulberry, pineapple
pericarp, with fleshy exocarp and
mesocarp and cartilaginous or
stony endocarp ("core"); apple,
pear
aggregate fleshy fruits—
strawberry (achenes borne on
fleshy receptacle); blackberry,
raspberry (collection of drupelets);
magnolia