FRUIT
A fruit is the seed - bearing structure in flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate seeds. Fruits serves as a source of food for humans and many animals.
Fruits primarily contains two parts; The Pericarp and The Seeds.
The pericarp layer is actually the outer wall of the ovary from which the fruit developed. Te pericarp has three layers:
*EXOCARP OR EPICARP:
This is the outermost layer of the pericarp that forms the skin.
*MESOCARP:
It is the thick, fleshy and juicy middle layer of the pericarp.
*ENDOCARP:
It is the innermost layer of the fruit, which often develops into the pith.
On the basis of the number of ovaries and the number of flowers involved in their formation, fruits are classified into three categories:
*SIMPLE FRUITS:
These fruits develops from a single ovary of one or more carpels.
It is further divided into Dry fruits and Fleshy fruits.
-Dry fruits:
In these fruits, the pericarp is not succulent and the pericarp becomes dry once the fruits mature. Dry fruits are of two types:
(a) Dehiscent fruits:
These fruits split open when they are mature.
Types of dehiscent dry fruits are:
-Follicle
-Legume
-Capsule
-Silique
(b) Indehiscent fruits:
These fruits do not split on maturity.
Types of indehiscent dry fruits are:
-Akene
-Caryopsis
-Samara
-Schizocarp
-Nut
*AGGREGATE FRUITS:
These fruits develops from multiple ovaries but of the same flowers. Am aggregate fruit consist of a collection of simple fruits called as fruitlets. Eg- Blackberries, Strawberries.
*MULTIPLE FRUITS :
They are formed by all the flowers of an inflorescence which together result in a single big fruit. Multiple fruits are called false or composite fruits.
TYPES OF FRUITS:
-Apples and Pears
-Citrus: oranges, grape
-Tropical and Exotic: bananas and mangoes
-Berries: strawberries, blueberries
-Melons: watermelons
-Tomatoes and avacadoes.
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