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: ''For more links to types of fruits see List Of Fruits .'' .]] In Botany , a fruit is the Ripen ed Ovary —together with Seed s—of a Flowering Plant . In many Species , the fruit incorporates the ripened ovary and surrounding tissues. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants disseminate seeds. Evolution has led plants to adopt certain basic mechanisms, seemingly without close regard to the tissues involved. No one terminology really fits the enormous variety that is found among plant fruits. Botanical terminology for fruits is inexact and will remain so. In Cuisine , when discussing fruit as Food , the term usually refers to just those Plant fruits that are sweet and fleshy, examples of which include Plum , Apple and Orange . However, a great many common Vegetable s, as well as nuts and Grain s, are the fruit of the plant species they come from. The term false fruit (pseudocarp, Accessory Fruit ) is sometimes applied to a fruit like the Fig (a ''multiple-accessory fruit''; see below) or to a plant structure that resembles a fruit but is not derived from a flower or flowers. Some Gymnosperm s, such as Yew , have fleshy Aril s that resemble fruits and some Juniper s have ''berry-like'', fleshy cones. The term "fruit" has also been inaccurately applied to the seed-containing female Cones of many Conifers . With most fruits Pollination is a vital part of fruit culture, and the lack of knowledge of Pollinator s and Pollenizer s can contribute to poor crops or poor quality crops. In a few species, the fruit may develop in the absence of pollination/fertilization, a process known as '' Parthenocarpy ''. Such fruits are seedless. A plant that does not produce fruit is known as '''''acarpous''''', meaning essentially "without fruit". BOTANIC FRUITS AND CULINARY FRUITS Many foods are botanically fruits, but are treated as Vegetable s in Cooking . These include Cucurbit s (e.g., Squash and Pumpkin ), Tomato , Cucumber , Aubergine (eggplant), and sweet Pepper , along with Nut s, and some Spice s, such as Allspice , Nutmeg and Chiles . Rarely, culinary "fruits" are not fruits in the botanical sense. For example, Rhubarb may be considered a fruit, though only the astringent stalk or Petiole is edible. In the commercial world, European Union rules define Carrot as a fruit for the purposes of measuring the proportion of "fruit" contained in carrot jam. See Nix V. Hedden for a United States Supreme Court's ruling on the matter. FRUIT DEVELOPMENT After an ''ovule'' is Fertilize d in a process known as pollination, the ovary begins to expand. The Petal s of the Flower fall off and the '' Ovule '' develops into a Seed . The ovary eventually comes to form, along with other parts of the flower in many cases, a structure surrounding the seed or seeds that is the fruit. Fruit development continues until the seeds have matured. With some multiseeded fruits the extent of development of the flesh of the fruit is proportional to the number of fertilized ovules. The wall of the fruit, developed from the ovary wall of the flower, is called the ''pericarp''. The ''pericarp'' is often differentiated into two or three distinct layers called the '''''exocarp''''' (outer layer - also called epicarp), '''''mesocarp''''' (middle layer), and '''''endocarp''''' (inner layer). In some fruits, especially simple fruits derived from an Inferior Ovary , other parts of the flower (such as the floral tube, including the Petal s, Sepal s, and Stamen s), fuse with the ovary and Ripen with it. The plant hormone Ethylene causes ripening. When such other floral parts are a significant part of the fruit, it is called an ''''' Accessory Fruit '''''. Since other parts of the flower may contribute to the structure of the fruit, it is important to study flower structure to understand how a particular fruit forms. Fruits are so varied in form and development, that it is difficult to devise a classification scheme that includes all known fruits. It will also be seen that many common terms for seeds and fruit are incorrectly applied, a fact that complicates understanding of the terminology. ''Seeds are ripened ovules; fruits are the ripened ovularies or carpels that contain the seeds''. To these two basic definitions can be added the clarification that in botanical terminology, a Nut is a type of fruit and not another term for seed. There are three basic types of fruits: # Simple fruit # Aggregate Fruit # Multiple Fruit Simple fruit Simple fruits can be either dry or fleshy and result from the ripening of a simple or compound ovary with only one Pistil . Dry fruits may be either ''' Dehiscent ''' (opening to discharge seeds), or '''indehiscent''' (not opening to discharge seeds). Types of '''dry''', simple fruits (with examples) are:
Fruits in which part or all of the ''pericarp'' (fruit wall) is fleshy at maturity are ''simple fleshy fruits''. Types of fleshy, simple fruits (with examples) are:
Aggregate fruit flowers. Note the multiple Pistil s, each of which will produce a druplet. Each flower will become a blackberry-like Aggregate Fruit .]] An aggregate fruit, or ''etaerio'', develops from a flower with numerous simple pistils. An example is the Raspberry , whose simple fruits are termed '''''drupelets''''' because each is like a small ''' Drupe ''' attached to the receptacle. In some Bramble fruits (such as Blackberry ) the receptacle is elongate and part of the ripe fruit, making the blackberry an ''aggregate-accessory'' fruit. The Strawberry is also an aggregate-accessory fruit, only one in which the seeds are contained in ''' Achene s'''. In all these examples, the fruit develops from a single flower with numerous pistils. Multiple fruit A multiple fruit is one formed from a cluster of flowers (called an '' Inflorescence ''). Each flower produces a fruit, but these mature into a single mass. Examples are the Pineapple , edible Fig , Mulberry , Osage-orange , and Breadfruit . , flowers are produced regularly along the stem and it is possible to see together examples of flowering, fruit development, and fruit ripening]] In the photograph on the right, stages of flowering and fruit development in the Noni or Indian mulberry (''Morinda citrifolia'') can be observed on a single branch. First an inflorescence of white flowers called a head is produced. After Fertilization , each flower develops into a '''drupe''', and as the drupes expand, they ''connate'' (merge) into a ''multiple fleshy fruit'' called a '''''syncarpet'''''. SEEDLESS FRUITS Seedlessness is an important feature of some fruits of commerce. Commercial Cultivars of Bananas and Pineapples are seedless. Some cultivars of Citrus fruits (especially navel Orange s and Mandarin Orange s), table Grapes , Grapefruit , and Watermelon s are valued for their seedlessness. In some species, seedlessness is the result of '' Parthenocarpy '', where fruits set without fertilization. Parthenocarpic fruit set may or may not require pollination. Most seedless citrus fruits require a pollination stimulus; bananas and pineapples do not. Seedlessness in table grapes results from the abortion of the Embryo nic plant that is produced by fertilization, a phenomenon known as ''''' Stenospermocarpy ''''' which requires normal pollination and fertilization. SEED DISSEMINATION Variations in fruit structures largely relate to the Mode Of Dispersal of the seeds they contain. Some fruits have coats covered with spikes or hooked burrs, either to prevent themselves from being eaten by Animal s or to stick to the Hair s of animals, using them as dispersal agents. Other fruits are elongated and flattened out naturally and so become thin, like Wing s or Helicopter blades. This is an Evolution ary mechanism to increase dispersal Distance away from the parent. The sweet flesh of many fruits is "deliberately" appealing to animals, so that the seeds held within are "unwittingly" carried away and deposited at a distance from the parent. Likewise, the nutritious, oily kernels of Nuts are appealing to rodents (such as Squirrel s) who Hoard them in the soil in order to avoid starving during the winter, thus giving those seeds that remain uneaten the chance to Germinate and grow into a new plant away from their parent. USES Many fruits, including fleshy fruits like Apple s and Mango s, and Nut s like Walnut , are commercially valuable as Human food, eaten both fresh and made into Jam s, Marmalade and other Preserve s for future consumption. Fruits are also found commonly in such manufactured foods as Cookie s, Muffin s, Yoghurt , Ice Cream , Cake s, and many more. EXTERNAL LINKS
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