Fruit and Seeds

Question 1

Fruit

Answer 1

The fruit is the ripened ovary and any other structure that is closely associated with it.

Question 2

Seed

Answer 2

The seed is the matured ovule, containing the small plant (embryo) with a food supply to initiate its development.

Question 3

Pericarp

Answer 3

The ripened wall of the matured ovary in the fruit is called a pericarp. Sometimes three layers can be distinguished, the outer excocarp, the middle mesocarp, and the inner endocarp.

See Fig 188 under “drupe”

Question 4

Fleshy

Answer 4

This means succulent and watery at maturity like an apple, cherry, raspberry, or tomato.

Question 5

Dry

Answer 5

Dry at maturity. For example a bean pod is fleshy and edible when young but becomes dry upon ripening.

Question 6

Dehiscent

Answer 6

A fruit that opens naturally to release the enclosed see or seeds.

Question 7

Suture

Answer 7

A suture is the line of dehiscence.

* See Fig 186*

Question 8

Septum

Answer 8

A partition between the cells of an ovary or fruit.

* See Fig 186*

Question 9

Valve

Answer 9

One of the segments of a dehiscent fruit after opening. The drawing shows a cross-section of the fruit before the valves have separated widely.

* See Fig 186*

Question 10

Indehiscent

Answer 10

A fruit that does not open to release the see or seeds. Fleshy fruits are practically always indehiscent as are most dry one-seeded fruits. The seed eventually may germinate and force its way through the walls f the fruit unless these have already decayed away.

Question 11

Locule (cell)

Answer 11

One of the compartments of an ovary or fruit.

* See Fig 186 under ‘valve’*

Question 12

Carpel

Answer 12

One of the individual parts of a compound ovary, theoretically that part formed from one sporophyll in its evolutionary development. The rule is to count the number of locules (cells), placentae, styles and stigma lobes. The highest number will be the number of carpels.

* See Fig 187*

Question 13

Drupe

Answer 13

A fleshy indehiscent fruit, one-seeded, with the endocarp stony.
Ex: peach, plum, cherry, olive

Question 14

Accessory

Answer 14

A fleshy fruit like a strawberry, made up of a succulent receptacle covered with several to many pistils, each forming a dry achene-like fruit. Sometimes not distinguished from aggregate.

Question 15

Aggregate

Answer 15

A fruit with the receptacle not especially fleshy, with several to many pistils, these each becoming fleshy and drupe-like.
Ex: blackberry, raspberry
In the lefthand drawing the cluster of drupes has been removed leaving the naked receptacle, as occurs in the raspberry.

Question 16

Syconium

Answer 16

A fruit made up of a fleshy hollow receptacle bearing inside many smaller separate flowers, each of which may produce a seedlike nutlet.
Ex: fig

Question 17

Multiple

Answer 17

A fleshy fruit formed from several to many separate flowers. These flowers have superior ovaries which may become fleshy but other parts of the unit may also be succulent. The classic example is borne on the mulberry plant. Such a fruit may resemble an aggregate fruit but is not formed from one flower.
Ex: pineapple, mulberry

Question 18

Berry

Answer 18

A fleshy fruit formed from one compound ovary containing few to many seeds. This fruit appears in the key as formed from a superior ovary, however, the term is often loosely used to include pulpy fruits formed from an inferior ovary but not resembling a pepo or pome.
Ex: tomato

Question 19

Hesperidium

Answer 19

This is a berry-like fruit with a thick leathery covering.

Ex: orange

Question 20

Pepo

Answer 20

A fleshy fruit formed from a compound inferior ovary, the outer wall becoming rather hard and tough.
Ex: pumpkin, melon, cucumber, watermelon

Question 21

Pome

Answer 21

A fleshy fruit formed from an inferior compound ovary, the receptacle (or calyx tubes) fleshy and thick.
Ex: apple

Question 22

Schizocarp

Answer 22

A dry indehiscent fruit made up of 2 or more one-seeded carpels that separate at maturity leaving a common axis between (the carpophore). Sometimes each segment is called a ‘mericarp’. The drawing to the left shows a cross-section of such a fruit Some manuals may call this fruit a cremo crop.

Question 23

Samara

Answer 23

A dry indehiscent winged fruit like those on maple (double samara) or ash (Over(single)

Question 24

Nut

Answer 24

A dry, indehiscent one-seeded fruit with a hard-coat. Often rather loosely seed/

Question 25

Achene

Answer 25

A dry indehiscent one-seeded fruit, the seed connected to the pericarp at only one point. The sunflower has achenes. In the figure the seed is shown as if shrunkened away from the pericarp.

Question 26

Caryopsis(grain)

Answer 26

A dry, indehiscent one-seeded fruit, the seed connnected to the pericarp at all points.
Ex; vorn vrockp