Fruit : After fertilization the ovary begins to develop into a fruit and the ovules inside the ovary develop into seeds. Such a fertilized, developed and ripened ovary is called a fruit.
Parthenocarpy
In parthenocarpy unfertilized ovary develops into a fruit. Such type of fruits do not have seeds.
Parthenocarpic fruits are of three types—
(a) Genetic parthenocarpy : This is also called natural parthenocarpy. It occurs in nature either by mutations or by hybridization.
(b) Environmental parthenocarpy : Environmental factors like low temperature, fog etc. obstruct sexual reproduction but promote parthenocarpy.
(c) Chemical induced parthenocarpy : Chemical agents like hormones etc. induce parthenocarphy.
Parthenocarpic fruits are used in making jams, jellys and juices because these fruits are seedless and contain more pulp.
Types of Fruits : Fruits are divided into two types—
1. False fruits
2. True fruits.
1. False Fruits : Such fruits are not developed from ovary. They are developed from other floral parts, e.g. Thalamus.
2. True Fruits : These fruits are developed from fertilized ovaries. Such fruits have pericarp and seeds.
1. Simple Fruits Simple fruit is one which develops from the ovary of a single flower. Simple fruits are of several types, such as,
Fleshy Fruits : When the fruit ripes, its pericarp becomes fleshy and juicy. When the fruit wall decays, seeds get liberated.
Berry : It is a fleshy fruit and has one or more seeds. In this fruit the ovary develops into a uniformly fleshy fruit. Pome : It is a fleshy fruit and develops from bi or multicarpellary syncarpous interor ovary. Fleshy part which is edible part is made of thalamus.
Pepo : It is a fleshy fruit either one celled or spuriously three celled, developing from a tricarpellary, syncarpous interior ovary, with parietal placentation, e.g. Cucu.
Hesperidium : It is a fleshy fruit produced from a superior, multicarpellary, syncarpous ovary. The seeds of the fruit are arranged on axile placentation.
Drupe : It is a fleshy fruit and develops from monocarpellary or multicarpellary, syncarpous, unicellular and superior ovary. The fruit has stony endocarp and one seed.
Dry Fruits : In dry fruits there is no fleshy part in the ripen condition and the pericarp remains dry.
Dry Dehiscent : In this type of fruits the wall bursts automatically on ripening.
Follicle : It is a dry dehiscent fruit which develops from a monocarpellary ovary and has one or more seeds and the carpels remain free.
Legume : This is also called pod. It is a dry dehiscent fruit and develops from monocarpellary superior ovary. Fruit breaks into two halves liberating the seeds.
Siliqua : It is a narrow long fruit developed from bicarpellary, syncarpous superior ovary. The ovary is unilocular but becomes bilocular due to the development of false septum.
Silicula : The fruit is short and broad and contains limited number of seeds, e.g. Capsella.
Capsule : It is a dry dehiscent fruit and develops from a bi or multicarpellary syncarpous superior ovary. It has many seeds.
Septicidal Capsule : This fruit splits along the septa between the locules and the ventral suture of carpel.
Septifragal Capsule : In this type of fruit, the wall dehisces in loculicidal manner, leaving the seeds on central swollen axis of the placenta, e.g. Datura.
Loculicidal Capsule : In this fruit the capsule at maturity dehisces through the middle portion of the locules, e.g. Gossypium.
Porous Capsule : It shows dehiscence by a number of pores on the top of the ripe fruit. Seeds are liberated by the fruit by censor mechanism, e.g. Papaver.
Pyxidium : This fruit develops from a superior ovary and of spherical shape. The top of the fruit separates as lid leaving the seeds exposed in cup like portion, e.g. Portulaca.
II. Dry Indihiscent
Fruits These are dry fruits which have only seeds and never dehisce even at maturity.
1. Achene : It is a dry indehiscent fruit and has one seed. It develops from a single carpel, e.g. Clematis.
2. Caryopsis : In this dry fruit both pericarp and seed coat fuse together, e.g. Oryza.
3. Cypsela : Cypsela is one seeded and develops from bicarpellary, syncarpous, unilocular and inferior ovary. It has a pappus like calyx, e.g. Patula.
4. Nut : It is dry, indehiscent and one seeded fruit and develops from a superior syncarpous ovary, e.g. Cashewnut.
5. Samara : It is a dry indehiscent fruit and develops from a superior bi or tricarpellary ovary. This fruit has one or two seeds, e.g. Shorea.
III. Schizocarpic Fruits
These dry fruits show the characters of both the dehiscent and indehiscent fruits.
1. Lomentum : This fruit is developed from monocarpellary ovary and at maturity the fruit dehisces on the sutures into many cocci, e.g. Acacia, Mimosa etc.
2. Cremocarp : This fruit grows from bicarpellary, syncarpous, bilocular and inferior ovary. At maturity the fruit dehisces into two one-seeded pericarps attached to the carpophore, e.g. Coriandrum sativum.
3. Carcerulus : This dry fruit develops from bicarpellary, syncarpous, tetralocular and superior ovary. At maturity the fruit dehisces into four nutlets, e.g. Ocimum.
4. Regma : This fruit develops from tricarpellary, syncarpous, trilocular and superior ovary and maturity the fruit splits into three one seeded cocci, e.g. Ricinus communis.
5. Schizocarp : This fruit develops from multicarpellary, syncarpous, multilocular and superior ovary and at maturity it splits into many cocci, e.g. Sida, Abutilon.
6. Double samara : This fruit develops from bicarpellary superior ovary.
Aggregate Fruits
These true fruits develop from a single flower having multicarpellary, apocarpous ovary. Each carpel develops into a fruitlet and all fruitlets are aggregated on a common pedicel to form a single aggregate fruit. The bunch of fruitlets is called ‘etaerio’.
Compound Fruits or Multiple Fruits or Composite Fruits
These fruits are developed from the complete inflorescence with its component parts.
1. Sorosis : This multiple fruit develops from spike or spadix or catkin inflorescence. These fruits remain fleshy, e.g. pineapple.
2. Syconus : It is a multiple fruit which develops from hypanthodium inflorescence, e.g. Ficus benghalensis.
Eatable parts of different fruits
1. Apple—Thalamus
2. Banana—Mesocarp + Endo-carp
3. Cashewnut—Fleshy pedicel + Cotyledons
4. Citrus—Juicy hairs in the endocarp
5. Cucurbita—Fleshy mesocarp and endocarp
6. Coconut—Endosperm (both cellular and liquid)
7. Jack fruit—Fleshy perianth and seeds
8. Pineapple—Axis, perianth and placenta
9. Brinjal—Whole fruit
10. Guava—Whole fruit
11. Dates—Pericarp
12. Grapes—Pericarp + Placenta
13. Mango—Mesocarp
14. Borassus—Mesocarp + Endo-sperm
15. Pulses—Seeds
16. Bean—Pericarp + Seeds
17. Cereals—Endosperm
18. Tamarindus—Mesocarp + Endocarp
19. Feronia—Mesocarp+Endocarp + Seeds
20. Punica granatum (Pome-granate)—Succulent testa of seeds
21. Pithecolobium—Fleshy aril
22. Mulberry—Whole fruit
23. Ficus—Inflorescence axis (receptacle).
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