Fruits
A fruit forms in flowering plants after fertilization, mainly from the ovary of the pistil. If it develops from the ovary alone it is a true fruit (apricot, cherry, peach); if other parts of the flower also take part it is a false fruit (apple, pear, quince). The fruit protects the seed until it ripens and helps it spread. In fleshy fruits the middle layer is juicy: drupe (apricot, plum, cherry: one kernel inside a hard stone), berry (grape, tomato, blackcurrant: many seeds), gourd-type fruit (melon, watermelon, cucumber: hard rind) and pome (apple, pear, quince). Dry fruits are indehiscent or dehiscent. Indehiscent: grain (wheat, maize), achene (sunflower), nut, winged fruit (elm, maple). Dehiscent: legume (pea, bean, mung bean — one carpel), siliqua (cabbage, radish — two carpels), silicle (shepherd’s purse) and capsule (cotton, tulip). Fruits serve reproduction and dispersal in nature and feed animals; people make food, oil, spices and medicines from them.
| Fleshy (juicy middle layer) | drupe, berry, pepo, pome |
|---|---|
| Dry, not splitting | grain, achene, nut, samara |
| Dry, splitting open | legume, siliqua, silicle, capsule |
Laboratory 5: sort a set of fruits (apricot stone, apple, tomato, pea pod, wheat, sunflower, cotton boll, elm samara) into types: fleshy or dry; dehiscent or indehiscent. With an adult cut an apple and a tomato crosswise and draw the seeds and parts. Safety: only adults use the knife; wash fruits; pupils with nut allergy avoid nuts and seeds; never taste an unknown fruit.