Fruit Plants
Fruit Plants
Fruits are the mature and ripened ovaries of flowers. The first step in fruit growth is fertilization of the carpel. Then, a fruit arises from a series of transformations that occur during the development of the fertilized carpel, resulting in the ovary of the flower maturing and ripening. Throughout this process, the cells in the carpel of the flower change so that the structural layers become the fruit. One of the main functions of a fruit is to spread the seeds and allow the plant to reproduce. Therefore, all flowering plants produce fruit, regardless of whether the fruit is edible, sweet, or soft.
A fruit tree is a tree which bears fruit that is consumed or used by animals and humans — all trees that are flowering plants produce fruit, which are the ripened ovaries of flowers containing one or more seeds. In horticultural usage, the term “fruit tree” is limited to those that provide fruit for human food.
Fruits are categorized scientifically into three main groups:
- Simple fruits
- Aggregate fruits
- Composite (or multiple) fruits
Simple fruits Include pome fruits (apples, pears), stone fruits (plum, cherry, apricot, peach etc. berries (tomatoes, currants, gooseberries etc), and many more.
Aggregate fruits Include Rubus spp. like raspberries and blackberries, and the strawberry.
Multiple fruits include examples like the fig, mulberry and pineapple.
