Fruit
The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state, such as apples, oranges, grapes, strawberries, juniper berries and bananas. Seed-associated structures that do not fit these informal criteria are usually called by other names, such as vegetables, pods, nut, ears and cones.
Pistil is the main female reproductive organ of a flower. A pistil includes an ovary and a tube called as style. The style is topped with a stigma. The pollen for fertilization is received by the stigma. This reproductive setup of a flower determines the type of fruit. Let us understand more about the different types of fruits.
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[edit] Types of fruits
Simple Fruits: These fruit types are produced by flowers containing one pistil, the main female reproductive organ of a flower.
Aggregate Fruits: These fruits types are developed from flowers which have more than one pistils. They consist of mass of small drupes that develops from a separate ovary of a single flower.
Multiple Fruits: These fruit types are developed not from one single flower but by a cluster of flowers.
Accessory Fruits: These fruit types are developed from plant parts other than the ovary.
Fruits can be fleshy or dry. The main fleshy fruit types are berry and drupe. Let us know more about the different fleshy fruit types according to the fruit category.
[edit] Simple Fruits
[edit] Berries
These fruit types have a soft epicarp and the mesocarp and endocarp is fleshly. The following is a list of fruits that come under types of berries
Grapes
Tomatoes
Bananas
Raspberry
Avocados
Eggplants
Currants
Persimmons
[edit] Hesperidiums
These fruit types have thick, leathery exocarp and mesocarp. They have a juicy, pulpy endocarp that is arranged in section of juice sacs from the ovary wall. The list of fruit under the type of hesperidium are as follows:
Orange
Lemon
Grapefruit
Limes
Citron
Mandarin
Clementine
Ugli fruit
[edit] Pepo
The berry has an outer wall or rind that is formed from receptacle tissue that is fused to the exocarp. The mesocarp and endocarp from the fleshy interior. The list of fruits under the type of pepo are:
Cucumber
Watermelon
Squash
Pumpkin
Honeydew melon
Sunberry
[edit] Drupe
The fruits are developed from one carpel ovary and with one seed. The endocarp is hard and stony that fits closely around the seed. The mesocarp is fleshy and the fruit has thin, soft exocarp. The list of fruits under the type of drupe are:
Cherry
Peach
Plum
Almond
Apricot
Olive
Lychee
Pin cherry
Coconut
[edit] Pome
The fruit is developed from a compound inferior ovary. The ripened tissue around the ovary forms the fleshy edible part. The list of fruits under the types of pome are:
Apples
Pears
Quince
Chokeberry
Haw
Juneberry
Medlar
Rowan
Sorb apple
[edit] Aggregate Fruits
[edit] Polydrupes
This is formed from the development of a number of simple carpels from a single flower. Few are dry fruits that are attached to a fleshy receptacle and the others are aggregation of simple fleshy fruits. The list of fruits under fleshy aggregate fruits are:
Strawberry
Blackberry
Raspberry
Boysenberry
Loganberry
Cloudberry
Wineberry
[edit] Multiple Fruits
The individual ovaries from different flowers get clustered together forming a fruit. The list of fruits under the type of fleshy multiple fruits are:
Mulberry
Pineapple
Fig
Pomegranate
Date
[edit] Asia
The following is a list of fruits that are native to Asia.
Cornelian cherry
Goumi
Jujube
Jackfruit
Kiwi fruit
Loquat
Kumquat
Persimmon
[edit] subtropical
The following is a list of Mediterranean and subtropical fruits.
Guava
Longan
Lychee
Passion Fruit
This is a list of tropical fruits that have a common characteristic of intolerance to frost.
Akee
Breadfruit
Camu Camu
Carambola
Chempedak
Custard apple
Durian
Guarana
Mamoncillo
Mango
Mangosteen
Papaya
Pineapple
Rambutan
Rose apple
Tamarind
These are a different types of fruits that come under the fleshy group. There are fruits that are dry fruits and can be differentiated as dry dehiscent and dry indehiscent. Fruit types that contain seeds in a seedpod that opens up and releases the seeds are known as dehiscent fruits. The indehiscent are those fruit types that do not have a seed pot that opens. Let us have a look at different fruit types that come under this group.
[edit] Dry Dehiscent Fruits
[edit] Follicle
The fruit is developed from a single carpel ovary. It splits open from one side only. This type of fruit contains one or many seeds. The list of fruits under follicle are:
Columbine
Milkweed
[edit] Legume
These fruit types are dry dehiscent fruits that have pods that split on two sides. The list of fruits under legumes are:
Sweet pea
Beans
Peanut
Runner Bean
[edit] Silique
This is a fruit that develops from two-carpel ovary, with the halves that fall away leaving the seeds attached to persistent, central wall. The fruits under the Cruciferae family come under this type of fruits.
[edit] Capsule
The fruit develops from compound ovary with two or more carpels and the capsules dehisce. The fruits under this type of fruits are
cotton
poppy
primrose.
[edit] Dry Indehiscent Fruits
[edit] Achene
This is a small one seeded fruit. The pericarp is easily separable from the seed coat. The fruits of buckwheat and sunflower family come under this type of fruit.
[edit] Samara
These are one or two seeded achene-like fruits. They form wings from the outgrowth of ovary walls. The type of fruits under this group are
elms
ash
maple.
[edit] Caryopsis
These are one-seeded small fruits that have pericarp completely fused to the seed coat. The type of fruits under caryopsis include:
Wheat
Oats
Rice
Corn
Barley
Rye
[edit] Nuts
These are one seeded dried fruits with a hard pericarp. The list of fruits under this type are:
Walnut
Hazelnut
Chestnut
Acorn
These were some types of fruits found in nature. Most of the fleshy fruits are edible and are eaten all over the world. Not all dry fruits are edible, nonetheless they are types of fruits. Fruits are nature's way of treating us with sweet and sour foods that have many health benefits and help keep our mind, body and skin healthy. One should make it a point of including these abundantly found and healthy foods in their daily diet. Hope this 'fruity' list was useful in introducing you to mother nature's sweet bounty.
