Horticulture Principles and Practices

Simple Fruits
Fleshy Fruits
Drupe
Berry
Comprised mainly of ovary tissue
Hesperidium
Pepo
Pome
Comprised primarily of receptacle tissue
Dry Fruits
Dehiscent
fruits
Follicle
Splits along one side
Legume
Silique
Splits along two sides
Capsule
Splits along multiple sides
Indehiscent
fruits
Nuts
Schizocarp
Thick pericarp
Thin
Samara
Winged pericarp
Aggregate Fruits
Achene
Pericarp not winged
Multiple Fruits
Caryopsis
Pericarp fused to seed
FIGURE 2–9
A classification of fruits.
1. Fleshy fruits.
a. Drupe. A drupe may comprise one to several carpels. Usually, each carpel
contains one seed. The endocarp (inner layer) of the fruit is hard and stony
and is usually highly attached to the seed (Figure 2–10). Examples are
cherry (Prunus spp.), olive, coconut (Cocos nucifera), peach (Prunus
persica), and plum (Prunus domestica).
b. Berry. A berry is a fruit characterized by an inner pulp that contains a few to
several seeds but not pits. It is formed from one or several carpels. Examples
are tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), grape (Vitis spp.), and pepper
(Capsicum anuum) (Figure 2–11). If the exocarp (skin) is leathery and
contains oils, as in the citrus fruits (e.g., orange [Citrus sinensis], lemon
[Citrus lemon], and grapefruit [Citrus paradisi]), the berry is called a
hesperidium (Figure 2–12). Some berries have a thick rind, as in watermelon
(Citrullus vulgaris), cucumber (Cucumis sativus), muskmelon (Cucumis
melo), and pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) (Figure 2–13). This type of a berry is
called a pepo.
c. Pome. A pome is a pitted fruit with a stony interior. The pit usually contains
one seed chamber and one seed. This very specialized fruit type develops
from the ovary, with most of the fleshy part formed from the receptacle
tissue (the enlarged base of the perianth) (Figure 2–14). Pomes are
FIGURE 2–10 A drupe, represented
by nectarine (Persica spp.). (Source: Philip
Dowell © Dorling Kindersley)
2.3 Other Classification Systems (Operational) 47