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{{Short description|Seed-bearing part of a flowering plant}}
{{pp-move-indef|small=yes}}
{{otheruses}} {{Other uses}}
{{Pp-semiprotected|small=yes}}
{{Pp-move-indef}}
]|alt=see caption]]
], ], and ]]]
In ], a '''fruit''' is the ]-bearing structure in ]s (angiosperms) that is formed from the ] after ] (see ]).


Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propagated using the movements of humans and other animals in a ] that is the means for ] for the one group and ] for the other; humans, and many other animals, have become dependent on fruits as a source of food.<ref name="Lewis375">{{cite book |last=Lewis |first=Robert A. |title=CRC Dictionary of Agricultural Sciences |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TwRUZK0WTWAC&q=fruit&pg=PA375 |year=2002 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-8493-2327-0 |access-date=2020-10-06 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130053317/https://books.google.com/books?id=TwRUZK0WTWAC&q=fruit&pg=PA375#v=snippet&q=fruit&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> Consequently, fruits account for a substantial fraction of the world's ] output, and some (such as the ] and the ]) have acquired extensive cultural and symbolic meanings.
].]]
] output in 2004]]
The term '''fruit''' has different meanings dependent on context, and the term is not synonymous in ] preparation and ]. In ], which is the ] study of plants, fruits are the ]ed ] of ]s. In many plant ], the fruit includes the ripened ovary and surrounding tissues. Fruits are the means by which flowering ]s disseminate seeds, and the presence of seeds indicates that a structure is most likely a fruit, though not all seeds come from fruits.<ref name=Lewis375>{{cite book |last= Lewis |first= Robert A. |title=CRC Dictionary of Agricultural Sciences |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=0849323274&id=TwRUZK0WTWAC&pg=PA375&lpg=PA375&dq=fruit&sig=qv05UIJxg5T_NmacdW8YixDnDAo |date= January 1, 2002 |publisher= ]|isbn= 0-8493-2327-4|pages=375–376}}</ref>


No single terminology really fits the enormous variety that is found among plant fruits.<ref>{{cite book |last= Schlegel |first=Rolf H J |title= Encyclopedic Dictionary of Plant Breeding and Related Subjects |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=1560229500&id=7J-3fD67RqwC&pg=PA177&lpg=PA177&vq=fruit&dq=acarpous&sig=LUVMFeCyejNiIUKgcwnMLl32wGs|date= January 1, 2003 |publisher=Haworth Press |isbn=1-56022-950-0 |pages=177}}</ref> The term 'false fruit' (pseudocarp, ]) is sometimes applied to a fruit like the ] (a ''multiple-accessory fruit''; see below) or to a plant structure that resembles a fruit but is not derived from a flower or flowers. Some ]s, such as ], have fleshy ]s that resemble fruits and some ]s have ''berry-like'', fleshy cones. The term "fruit" has also been inaccurately applied to the seed-containing female ] of many ].<ref name=Mauseth271>{{cite book |last= Mauseth|first= James D.|title= Botany: An Introduction to Plant Biology|url= http://books.google.com/books?visbn=0763721344&id=0DfYJsVRmUcC&pg=PA271&lpg=PA271&sig=s2WaDwTzo0sofme_Hj5DamgRFQA |date= April 1, 2003|publisher= Jones and Bartlett|isbn= 0-7637-2134-4|pages=271–272}}</ref> In common language and culinary usage, ''fruit'' normally means the seed-associated fleshy structures (or produce) of plants that typically are sweet (or sour) and edible in the raw state, such as apples, bananas, grapes, lemons, oranges, and strawberries. In botanical usage, the term ''fruit'' also includes many structures that are not commonly called as such in everyday language, such as nuts, bean pods, corn kernels, tomatoes, and wheat grains.<ref>{{cite book |last=Schlegel |first=Rolf H J |title=Encyclopedic Dictionary of Plant Breeding and Related Subjects |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7J-3fD67RqwC&q=acarpous&pg=PA177 |year=2003 |publisher=Haworth Press |isbn=978-1-56022-950-6 |page=177 |access-date=2020-10-06 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130053311/https://books.google.com/books?id=7J-3fD67RqwC&q=acarpous&pg=PA177 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Mauseth271">{{cite book |last=Mauseth |first=James D. |title=Botany: An Introduction to Plant Biology |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0DfYJsVRmUcC&pg=PA271 |year=2003 |publisher=Jones and Bartlett |isbn=978-0-7637-2134-3 |pages=271–72 |access-date=2020-05-09 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130053426/https://books.google.com/books?id=0DfYJsVRmUcC&pg=PA271#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>


== Botanic fruit and culinary fruit == == Botanical vs. culinary ==
{{Also|Vegetable#Terminology}}
] representing the relationship between (culinary) vegetables and (botanical) fruits. Some vegetables, such as tomatoes, fall into both categories.]]
], ]es, and various ]]]
Many true fruits, in a botanical sense, are treated as ]s in ] and food preparation because they are not sweet. These botanical fruits include ] (e.g., ], ], and ]), ], ]s, ]s, ], ], and sweet ]; some ]s, such as ] and ], are botanical fruits.<ref name=McGee247>{{cite book |last= McGee |first= Harold |authorlink=Harold McGee |title=On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=0684800012&id=iX05JaZXRz0C&pg=PA247&lpg=PA247&vq=Fruit&dq=On+Food+And+Cooking&sig=sxt0wE3J41Afme7D6IbeEeAE920 |date= November 16, 2004 |publisher= ]|isbn= 0-684-80001-2|pages=247–248}}</ref>
Occasionally, though rarely, a culinary "fruit" is not a true fruit in the botanical sense. For example, ] is often referred to as a fruit, because it is used to make sweet desserts such as pies, though only the ] of the rhubarb plant is edible.<ref>{{cite book |last= McGee |title=On Food and Cooking |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=0684800012&id=iX05JaZXRz0C&pg=PA367&lpg=PA367&vq=rhubarb&dq=On+Food+And+Cooking&sig=7TorpakpzTCQfrRZayxOmPyZ_1s |pages=367}}</ref> In the culinary sense, a fruit is usually any sweet tasting plant product associated with seed(s), a vegetable is any ] or less sweet plant product, and a nut any hard, oily, and shelled plant product.<ref>For a ] ruling on the matter, see ].</ref>


Many common language terms used for fruit and seeds differ from botanical classifications. For example, in botany, a ''fruit'' is a ripened ] or ] that contains seeds, e.g., an orange, pomegranate, tomato or a pumpkin. A '']'' is a type of fruit (and not a seed), and a ''seed'' is a ripened ].<ref name="McGee247" />
Although a ] is a type of fruit, it is also a popular term for ], such as ]s and ]s.<ref>{{cite book |last= McGee |title=On Food and Cooking |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=0684800012&id=iX05JaZXRz0C&pg=PA501&lpg=PA501&vq=nut&dq=On+Food+And+Cooking&sig=o2G0ZjyWTWnMsNerGjkZQ2hk_w8
|pages=501}}</ref> Technically, a ] grain is a fruit termed a ]. However, the fruit wall is very thin and fused to the seed coat so almost all of the edible grain is actually a ]. Therefore, cereal grains, such as ], ] and ] are better considered edible seeds, although some references list them as fruits.<ref>{{cite book |last= Lewis |title=CRC Dictionary of Agricultural Sciences |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=0849323274&id=TwRUZK0WTWAC&pg=PA238&lpg=PA238&vq=cereal&dq=fruit&sig=5e5ElNUQ8LAQf1_mKsOF-HLSrFc
|pages=238}}</ref> Edible gymnosperm seeds are often misleadingly given fruit names, e.g. ], ] nuts, and ].


In culinary language, a ] is the sweet- or not sweet- (even sour-) tasting produce of a specific plant (e.g., a peach, pear or lemon); ''nuts'' are hard, oily, non-sweet plant produce in shells (], ]). '']'', so-called, typically are ] or non-sweet produce (], lettuce, broccoli, and tomato). but some may be sweet-tasting (sweet potato).<ref>For a ] ruling on the matter, see '']''.</ref>
== Fruit development ==
]
], the ] (''Prunus persica'') over a 7½ month period, from bud formation in early winter to fruit ripening in midsummer (see ] for further information)]]
Examples of botanically classified fruit that are typically called vegetables include ], ], and ] (all are ]); ]s, ]s, and ]s (all ]); and ], ], ] (or sweet pepper), and tomato. Many spices are fruits, botanically speaking, including ], ], ] and ].<ref name="McGee247">{{cite book |last=McGee |first=Harold |author-link=Harold McGee |title=On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iX05JaZXRz0C&q=On+Food+And+Cooking&pg=PA247 |year=2004 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-684-80001-1 |pages=247–48 |access-date=2020-10-06 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130053312/https://books.google.com/books?id=iX05JaZXRz0C&q=On+Food+And+Cooking&pg=PA247#v=snippet&q=On%20Food%20And%20Cooking&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> In contrast, ] is often called a fruit when used in making ], but the edible produce of rhubarb is actually the leaf stalk or ] of the plant.<ref>{{cite book |last=McGee |title=On Food and Cooking |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iX05JaZXRz0C&q=On+Food+And+Cooking&pg=PA367 |page=367 |isbn=978-0-684-80001-1 |year=2004 |publisher=] |access-date=2020-10-06 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130053419/https://books.google.com/books?id=iX05JaZXRz0C&q=On+Food+And+Cooking&pg=PA367#v=snippet&q=On%20Food%20And%20Cooking&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> Edible ] seeds are often given fruit names, e.g., ] nuts and ]s.
{{main|Fruit anatomy}}


Botanically, a ] grain, such as ], ], or ] is a kind of fruit (termed a ]). However, the fruit wall is thin and fused to the seed coat, so almost all the edible grain-fruit is actually a seed.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lewis |title=CRC Dictionary of Agricultural Sciences |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TwRUZK0WTWAC&q=fruit&pg=PA238 |page=238 |isbn=978-0-8493-2327-0 |year=2002 |publisher=CRC Press |access-date=2020-10-06 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130053313/https://books.google.com/books?id=TwRUZK0WTWAC&q=fruit&pg=PA238#v=snippet&q=fruit&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>
A fruit is a ripened ovary. Inside the ovary is one or more ovules where the ] contains the megagamete or egg cell.<ref>http://www.palaeos.com/Plants/Lists/Glossary/GlossaryL.html#M</ref> The ]s are ]d in a process that starts with ], which involves the movement of pollen from the stamens to the stigma of flowers. After pollination, a tube grows from the pollen through the stigma into the ovary to the ovule and sperm are transferred from the pollen to the ovule, within the ovule the sperm unites with the egg, forming a diploid ]. Fertilization in flowering plants involves both ], the fusing of the sperm and egg protoplasm and ], the union of the sperm and egg nucleus.<ref>{{Cite book | author=Mauseth, James D. | authorlink= | coauthors= | title=Botany: an introduction to plant biology | date=2003 | publisher=Jones and Bartlett Publishers | location=Boston | isbn=978-0-7637-2134-3 | pages=258}}</ref> When the sperm enters the nucleus of the ovule and joins with the megagamete and the endosperm mother cell, the fertilization process is completed.<ref>{{Cite book | author=Rost, Thomas L.; Weier, T. Elliot; Weier, Thomas Elliot | authorlink= | coauthors= | title=Botany: a brief introduction to plant biology | date=1979 | publisher=Wiley | location=New York | isbn=0-471-02114-8 | pages=135–37}}</ref> As the developing seeds mature, the ovary begins to ]. The ovules develop into ]s and the ovary wall, the ''pericarp'', may become fleshy (as in berries or ]s), or form a hard outer covering (as in nuts). In some cases, the ]s, ]s and/or ]s and ] of the ] fall off. Fruit development continues until the seeds have matured. In some multiseeded fruits, the extent to which the flesh develops is proportional to the number of fertilized ovules.<ref>{{cite book |last= Mauseth |title= Botany |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=0763721344&id=0DfYJsVRmUcC&pg=PP14&lpg=PP11&sig=fxnTedUCSETHvzOygbqEbQuwk-g |pages = Chapter 9: Flowers and Reproduction |nopp= true}}</ref>
The wall of the fruit, developed from the ovary wall of the flower, is called the ''pericarp''. The ''pericarp'' is often differentiated into two or three distinct layers called the ''exocarp'' (outer layer - also called epicarp), ''mesocarp'' (middle layer), and ''endocarp'' (inner layer). In some fruits, especially simple fruits derived from an ], other parts of the flower (such as the floral tube, including the ]s, ]s, and ]s), fuse with the ovary and ] with it. The plant hormone ] causes ripening. When such other floral parts are a significant part of the fruit, it is called an '']''. Since other parts of the flower may contribute to the structure of the fruit, it is important to study flower structure to understand how a particular fruit forms.<ref name=Mauseth271 />


== Structure ==
Fruits are so diverse that it is difficult to devise a classification scheme that includes all known fruits. Many common terms for seeds and fruit are incorrectly applied, a fact that complicates understanding of the terminology. Seeds are ripened ovules; fruits are the ripened ovaries or carpels that contain the seeds. To these two basic definitions can be added the clarification that in botanical terminology, a ] is not a type of fruit and not another term for seed, on the contrary to common terminology.<ref name=McGee247>{{cite book |last= McGee |first= Harold |authorlink=Harold McGee |title=On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=0684800012&id=iX05JaZXRz0C&pg=PA247&lpg=PA247&vq=Fruit&dq=On+Food+And+Cooking&sig=sxt0wE3J41Afme7D6IbeEeAE920 |date= November 16, 2004 |publisher= ]|isbn= 0-684-80001-2|pages=247–248}}</ref>
{{Main|Fruit anatomy}}
]
]
The outer layer, often edible, of most fruits is called the ''pericarp''. Typically formed from the ovary, it surrounds the seeds; in some species, however, other structural tissues contribute to or form the edible portion. The pericarp may be described in three layers from outer to inner, i.e., the ''epicarp'', ''mesocarp'' and ''endocarp''.


Fruit that bears a prominent pointed terminal projection is said to be ''beaked''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/help/glossary#B|title=Glossary of Botanical Terms|work=FloraBase|publisher=Western Australian Herbarium|access-date=23 July 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141008190434/https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/help/glossary#B|archive-date=8 October 2014}}</ref>
There are three basic types of fruits:
# ]
# ]
# ]


===Simple fruit=== == Development ==
A fruit results from the fertilizing and maturing of one or more flowers. The ], which contains the '']'' system, is centered in the flower-head, and it forms all or part of the fruit.<ref>Esau, K. 1977. ''Anatomy of seed plants''. John Wiley and Sons, New York.</ref> Inside the ] are one or more ]s. Here begins a complex sequence called '']'': a female ] produces an egg cell for the purpose of fertilization.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101220200017/http://www.palaeos.com/Plants/Lists/Glossary/GlossaryL.html#M|date=December 20, 2010}}</ref><!--January 2012, the http://palaeos.com/ web site requests that links like this not be corrected until their major overhaul is completed and a public announcement made.--> (A female gametophyte is called a '']'', and also called the '']''.) After double fertilization, the ovules will become seeds.
], ], ] red ]]]


Ovules are fertilized in a process that starts with ], which is the movement of pollen from the stamens to the stigma-style-ovary system within the flower-head. After pollination, a ] grows from the (deposited) pollen through the stigma down the style into the ovary to the ovule. Two sperm are transferred from the pollen to a megagametophyte. Within the megagametophyte, one sperm unites with the egg, forming a ], while the second sperm enters the central cell forming the endosperm mother cell, which completes the double fertilization process.<ref>{{cite book |author=Mauseth, James D. |title=Botany: an introduction to plant biology |year=2003 |publisher=Jones and Bartlett Publishers |location=Boston |isbn=978-0-7637-2134-3 |page=258}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Rost, Thomas L. |author2=Weier, T. Elliot |author3=Weier, Thomas Elliot |title=Botany: a brief introduction to plant biology |year=1979 |publisher=Wiley |location=New York |isbn=978-0-471-02114-8 |pages= |url=https://archive.org/details/botanybriefintro00rost/page/135 }}</ref> Later, the zygote will give rise to the embryo of the seed, and the endosperm mother cell will give rise to ], a nutritive tissue used by the embryo.
Simple fruits can be either dry or fleshy, and result from the ripening of a simple or compound ovary with only one ]. Dry fruits may be either ] (opening to discharge seeds), or indehiscent (not opening to discharge seeds).<ref>{{cite book |last= Schlegel |title= Encyclopedic Dictionary |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=7J-3fD67RqwC&visbn=1560229500&dq=acarpous&pg=PA123&lpg=PA123&sig=mFka90ytIY0ymsbOk40-U--1h28
|pages=123}}</ref> Types of dry, simple fruits, with examples of each, are:
*] - (] seeds, ])
*] - (])
*] - (])
*] - (], ])
*] - (], ])
*] - (], ], ])
*]
*] - (], ], oak ])
*] - (], ], ] key)
*] - (] seed)
*] - (] seed)
*] - (])
*] - (])
]'' unripe capsule fruit.]]
Fruits in which part or all of the ''pericarp'' (fruit wall) is fleshy at maturity are ''simple fleshy fruits''. Types of fleshy, simple fruits (with examples) are:
*] - (], ], ], ])
*stone fruit or ] (], ], ], ], ])
*] - Epigynous accessory fruits (], ], ] (edible part).)
*] - accessory fruits (], ], ])


As the ovules develop into seeds, the ovary begins to ripen and the ovary wall, the ''pericarp'', may become fleshy (as in berries or ]s), or it may form a hard outer covering (as in nuts). In some multi-seeded fruits, the extent to which a fleshy structure develops is proportional to the number of fertilized ovules.<ref>{{cite book |last=Mauseth |title=Botany |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0DfYJsVRmUcC&pg=PP14 |pages=Chapter 9: Flowers and Reproduction |no-pp=true |isbn=978-0-7637-2134-3 |year=2003 |publisher=Jones & Bartlett Learning |access-date=2020-05-09 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130053426/https://books.google.com/books?id=0DfYJsVRmUcC&pg=PP14#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> The pericarp typically is differentiated into two or three distinct layers; these are called the ''exocarp'' (outer layer, also called epicarp), ''mesocarp'' (middle layer), and ''endocarp'' (inner layer).
===Aggregate fruit===<!-- This section is linked from ] -->
] flowers. Note the multiple ]s, each of which will produce a ]let. Each flower will become a blackberry-like ]]]
{{main|Aggregate fruit}}


In some fruits, the ]s, ]s, ]s or ] of the flower fall away as the fleshy fruit ripens. However, for simple fruits derived from an '']'' – i.e., one that lies {{em|below}} the attachment of other floral parts – there are parts (including petals, sepals, and stamens) that fuse with the ovary and ripen with it. For such a case, when floral parts other than the ovary form a significant part of the fruit that develops, it is called an ]. Examples of accessory fruits include apple, rose hip, strawberry, and pineapple.
An aggregate fruit, or ''etaerio'', develops from a flower with numerous simple pistils.<ref>{{cite book |last= Schlegel |title= Encyclopedic Dictionary |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=1560229500&id=7J-3fD67RqwC&pg=PA16&lpg=PA16&vq=Aggregate+fruit&dq=acarpous&sig=Muxd7lDu6N4K7272-3Eh9VUZwQU
|pages=16}}</ref> An example is the ], whose simple fruits are termed ''drupelets'' because each is like a small ] attached to the receptacle. In some ] fruits (such as ]) the receptacle is elongated and part of the ripe fruit, making the blackberry an ''aggregate-accessory'' fruit.<ref>{{cite book |last= McGee |title=On Food and Cooking |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=0684800012&id=iX05JaZXRz0C&pg=PA361&lpg=PA361&vq=raspberry&dq=On+Food+And+Cooking&sig=0wKBQUHIAP1jhRusTCw64TGfYoQ |pages=361–362}}</ref> The ] is also an aggregate-accessory fruit, only one in which the seeds are contained in ]s.<ref>{{cite book |last= McGee |title=On Food and Cooking |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=0684800012&id=iX05JaZXRz0C&pg=PA364&lpg=PA364&vq=strawberry&dq=On+Food+And+Cooking&sig=bKEBM5unYQam-pn6AYQSyKhWe_o |pages=364–365}}</ref> In all these examples, the fruit develops from a single flower with numerous pistils.


Because several parts of the flower besides the ovary may contribute to the structure of a fruit, it is important to understand how a particular fruit forms.<ref name="Mauseth271" /> There are three general modes of fruit development:
Some kinds of aggregate fruits are called ], yet in the botanical sense they are not.


* ] fruits develop from a ''single flower'' (while having one or more separate, unfused, carpels); they are the ].
===Multiple fruit===
* ] fruits develop from a ''single ]'' (having two or more carpels fused together).
{{main|Multiple fruit}}
* ] form from many flowers – i.e., an inflorescence of flowers.
A multiple fruit is one formed from a cluster of flowers (called an '']''). Each flower produces a fruit, but these mature into a single mass.<ref>{{cite book |last= Schlegel |title= Encyclopedic Dictionary |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=1560229500&id=7J-3fD67RqwC&pg=PA282&lpg=PA282&vq=Multiple+fruit&dq=acarpous&sig=mnPOH-HP-2Ow6lX916y7uf_9Zzo
|pages=282}}</ref> Examples are the ], edible ], ], ], and ].


<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
], flowers are produced regularly along the stem and it is possible to see together examples of flowering, fruit development, and fruit ripening]]
File:Nectarine Fruit Development.jpg|The development sequence of a typical ], the ] (''Prunus persica'') over a 7.5-month period, from bud formation in early winter to fruit ] in midsummer
In the photograph on the right, stages of flowering and fruit development in the ] or Indian mulberry (''Morinda citrifolia'') can be observed on a single branch. First an inflorescence of white flowers called a head is produced. After ], each flower develops into a drupe, and as the drupes expand, they become ''connate'' (merge) into a ''multiple fleshy fruit'' called a ''syncarpet''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Parker |first=Philip M. |title=Morinda Citrifolia - A Medical Dictionary, Bibliography, and Annotated Research Guide to Internet References |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=0497007584&id=8jVrCEmZ-HwC&dq=Morinda+citrifolia |date=December 1, 2004 |publisher=ICON Group |isbn=0-497-00758-4 }}</ref>
File:Mature flower diagram.svg|right|The parts of a flower, showing the stigma-style-ovary system.
File:Pome apples text.jpg|An apple is a simple, fleshy fruit. Key parts are the epicarp, or exocarp, or outer skin (not labelled); and the mesocarp and endocarp (labelled).
image:Ovary position.svg|right|upright 1.5|Insertion point: There are three positions of insertion of the ovary at the base of a flower: I superior; II half-inferior; III inferior. The 'insertion point' is where the ] parts (a), the petals (p), and the sepals (s) all converge and attach to the receptacle (r). (Ovary=gynoecium (g).)
File:Noni fruit dev.jpg|upright 1.5|In the ], flowers are produced in time-sequence along the stem. It is possible to see a progression of flowering, fruit development, and fruit ripening.
Tweelinggroei appels.jpg|Twin apples.
</gallery>


==Classification of fruits==
There are also many dry multiple fruits, e.g.
] flowers. Note the multiple ]s, each of which will produce a ]let. Each flower will become a blackberry-like ].]]
*], multiple of samaras.
]
*], multiple of capsules.
*] and ], multiple of achenes.
*], multiple of follicles.


Consistent with the three modes of fruit development, plant scientists have classified fruits into three main groups: simple fruits, aggregate fruits, and multiple (or composite) fruits.<ref name="plants_systematics">{{cite book |last1= Singh |first1= Gurcharan |title= Plants Systematics: An Integrated Approach |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=In_Lv8iMt24C&pg=PA83 |year= 2004 |publisher= Science Publishers |isbn= 978-1-57808-351-0 |page= 83 |access-date= 2020-05-09 |archive-date= 2024-01-30 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240130053419/https://books.google.com/books?id=In_Lv8iMt24C&pg=PA83#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status= live }}</ref> The groupings reflect how the ovary and other flower organs are arranged and how the fruits develop, but they are not evolutionarily relevant as diverse plant ] may be in the same group.
===Fruit chart===
To summarize common types of fruit (examples follow in the table below):
* ] -- simple fruit and seeds created from a single ovary
** ] -- Berries where the skin is hardened, like ]s
** ] -- Berries with a rind, like most ] fruit
* ] -- Epigynous fruit made from a part of the plant other than a single ovary
* ], which includes:
** ] -- multiple fruits with seeds from different ovaries of a single flower
** ] -- fruits of separate flowers, packed closely together
* Other ] -- where the edible part is not generated by the ovary
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Types of fruit
|-
! True berry
! Pepo
! Hesperidium
! False berry (Epigynous)
! Aggregate fruit
! Multiple fruit
! Other accessory fruit
|-
| ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ],
| ], ], ], ]
| ], ], ], ]
| ], ], ]
| ], ], ], ]
| ], ], ]
| ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ],
|}


While the section of a ] that produces ]s is called a ''fruiting'' body,<ref>{{cite web|title=Sporophore from Encyclopædia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/560984/sporophore|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110222204440/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/560984/sporophore|archive-date=2011-02-22}}</ref> fungi are members of the ] and not of the ].
== Seedless fruits ==
]es and various ]]]
Seedlessness is an important feature of some fruits of commerce. Commercial ] of ]s and ] are examples of ]s. Some cultivars of ] fruits (especially navel ]),satsumas, ]s ]s, ], and ]s are valued for their seedlessness. In some species, seedlessness is the result of '']'', where fruits set without fertilization. Parthenocarpic fruit set may or may not require pollination. Most seedless citrus fruits require a pollination stimulus; bananas and pineapples do not. Seedlessness in table grapes results from the abortion of the ]nic plant that is produced by fertilization, a phenomenon known as '']'' which requires normal pollination and fertilization.<ref name=Spiegel87>{{cite book |last= Spiegel-Roy |first= P. |coauthors= E. E. Goldschmidt|title= The Biology of Citrus |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=0521333210&id=SmRJnd73dbYC&pg=PA87&lpg=PA87&dq=parthenocarpy&sig=3Guru2ZBuXpY-ZA1-0ooAZBUxqg
|date= August 28, 1996|publisher= ] |isbn= 0-521-33321-0|pages=87–88}}</ref>


== Seed dissemination == === Simple fruits ===
]''); dehiscence of the ] fruit reveals seeds within.]]
Variations in fruit structures largely depend on the ] of the seeds they contain. This dispersal can be achieved by animals, wind, water, or explosive dehiscence.<ref name=Capon198>{{cite book |last=Capon |first=Brian |title=Botany for Gardeners |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=0881926558&id=Z2s9v__6rp4C&pg=PA198&lpg=PA198&dq=coconut+dispersal&sig=o2ECHPkflL6xvh0CAjbkgmdSD1A |date=February 25, 2005 |publisher=Timber Press |isbn=0-88192-655-8 |pages=198–199 }}</ref>
Simple fruits are the result of the ripening-to-fruit of a simple or compound ovary in a ''single flower'' with a ''single ]''. In contrast, a single flower with numerous pistils typically produces an ]; and the merging of several flowers, or a 'multiple' of flowers, results in a 'multiple' fruit.<ref name="Schlegel 2003 16">{{cite book |last=Schlegel |title=Encyclopedic Dictionary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7J-3fD67RqwC&q=acarpous&pg=PA16 |page=16 |isbn=978-1-56022-950-6 |year=2003 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |access-date=2020-10-06 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130053820/https://books.google.com/books?id=7J-3fD67RqwC&q=acarpous&pg=PA16 |url-status=live }}</ref> A simple fruit is further classified as either dry or fleshy.


To distribute their seeds, dry fruits may split open and discharge their seeds to the winds, which is called ].<ref>{{cite book |last=Schlegel |title=Encyclopedic Dictionary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7J-3fD67RqwC&q=acarpous&pg=PA123 |page=123 |isbn=978-1-56022-950-6 |year=2003 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |access-date=2020-10-06 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130053820/https://books.google.com/books?id=7J-3fD67RqwC&q=acarpous&pg=PA123 |url-status=live }}</ref> Or the distribution process may rely upon the decay and degradation of the fruit to expose the seeds; or it may rely upon the eating of fruit and excreting of seeds by ] – both are called ]. Fleshy fruits do not split open, but they also are indehiscent and they may also rely on frugivores for distribution of their seeds. Typically, the entire outer layer of the ovary wall ripens into a potentially edible ].
Some fruits have coats covered with spikes or hooked burrs, either to prevent themselves from being eaten by ]s or to stick to the ]s, feathers or legs of animals, using them as dispersal agents. Examples include ] and ].<ref>{{cite book |last=Heiser |first=Charles B. |title=Weeds in My Garden: Observations on Some Misunderstood Plants |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=0881925624&id=nN1ohECdSC8C&pg=PA93&lpg=PA93&dq=cocklebur&sig=pRIfunPQhPbVKoZCjjb-wj4lPx8 |date=April 1, 2003 |publisher=Timber Press |isbn=0-88192-562-4 |pages=93–95}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Heiser |title=Weeds in My Garden |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=0881925624&id=nN1ohECdSC8C&pg=PA164&lpg=PA162&vq=unicorn&dq=cocklebur&sig=aRLExIV7BLqUkOD1AX7rDo0uXRM |pages=162–164}}</ref>


Types of dry simple fruits, (with examples) include:
The sweet flesh of many fruits is "deliberately" appealing to animals, so that the seeds held within are eaten and "unwittingly" carried away and deposited at a distance from the parent. Likewise, the nutritious, oily kernels of ] are appealing to rodents (such as ]s) who ] them in the soil in order to avoid starving during the winter, thus giving those seeds that remain uneaten the chance to ] and grow into a new plant away from their parent.<ref name=McGee247 />
* ] – most commonly seen in aggregate fruits (e.g., ], see below).
* ] – (]: botanically, it is not a nut).
* ] – (cereal grains, including ], ], ], ]).
* ] – an achene-like fruit derived from the individual florets in a ]: (]).
* ] – (], ]: botanically, neither is a true nut.).
* ] – follicles are formed from a single carpel, and opens by one suture: (]); also commonly seen in aggregate fruits: (], ]).
* ] – (], ], ]: botanically, the peanut is the seed of a legume, not a nut).
* ] – a type of ] legume: (]).
* ] – (], ], ] (of the ]): botanically, these are true nuts).
* ] – (], ], ]).
* ], see below – (]).
* ] – (] seed).
* Silicle – (]).
* ] – (], '']'').


Fruits in which part or all of the ] is fleshy at maturity are termed ''fleshy simple fruits''.
Other fruits are elongated and flattened out naturally and so become thin, like ]s or ] blades, e.g. ], ] and ]. This is an ]ary mechanism to increase dispersal ] away from the parent via wind. Other wind-dispersed fruit have tiny ''parachutes'', e.g. ] and ].<ref name=Capon198 />


Types of fleshy simple fruits, (with examples) include:
] fruits can float thousands of miles in the ocean to spread seeds. Some other fruits that can disperse via water are ] and ].<ref name=Capon198 />
* ] – the berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit. The entire outer layer of the ovary wall ripens into a potentially edible "pericarp", (see below).
* ] or drupe – the definitive characteristic of a drupe is the hard, "lignified" stone (sometimes called the "pit"). It is derived from the ovary wall of the flower: ], ], ], ], ], ].<!-- This section is linked from ] -->
* ] – the pome fruits: ]s, ]s, ]s, ], etc., are a ] (fused) fleshy fruit, a simple fruit, developing from a half-inferior ovary.<ref name="evolutionary_trends_in_flowering_plants">{{cite book |title= Evolutionary trends in flowering plants |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=c11HBwElG-4C&pg=PA209 |year= 1991 |publisher= Columbia University Press |location= New York |isbn= 978-0-231-07328-8 |page= 209 |access-date= 2020-05-09 |archive-date= 2024-01-30 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240130053820/https://books.google.com/books?id=c11HBwElG-4C&pg=PA209#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status= live }}</ref> Pomes are of the family ].


==== Berries ====
Some fruits fling seeds substantial distances (up to 100&nbsp;m in ]) via explosive dehiscence or other mechanisms, e.g. ] and ].<ref>{{cite book |last=Feldkamp |first=Susan |title=Modern Biology |year=2002 |publisher=Holt, Rinehart, and Winston |isbn=0-88192-562-4 |pages=634}}</ref>
{{Main|Berry (botany)|Berry}}
] (Bananas are berries.)]]
] ].]]
] showing the many pistils making up the ] in the middle of the flower. The fruit of this flower is an aggregation of follicles.]]


Berries are a type of simple fleshy fruit that issue from a single ovary.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1qwuBXeczzgC&q=berry+type+of+fleshy+fruit+are+simple+fruit+created+from+single+ovary&pg=PT56|title=Handbook of Fruits and Fruit Processing|last1=Sinha|first1=Nirmal|last2=Sidhu|first2=Jiwan|last3=Barta|first3=Jozsef|last4=Wu|first4=James|last5=Cano|first5=M. Pilar|year=2012|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-118-35263-2|access-date=2020-10-06|archive-date=2024-01-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130053821/https://books.google.com/books?id=1qwuBXeczzgC&q=berry+type+of+fleshy+fruit+are+simple+fruit+created+from+single+ovary&pg=PT56#v=snippet&q=berry%20type%20of%20fleshy%20fruit%20are%20simple%20fruit%20created%20from%20single%20ovary&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> (The ovary itself may be compound, with several carpels.) The botanical term ''true berry'' includes grapes, currants, cucumbers, eggplants (aubergines), tomatoes, chili peppers, and bananas, but excludes certain fruits that are called "-berry" by culinary custom or by common usage of the term – such as strawberries and raspberries. Berries may be formed from one or more carpels (i.e., from the simple or compound ovary) from the same, single flower. Seeds typically are embedded in the fleshy interior of the ovary.
== Uses ==
]s are one of many fruits that can be easily stewed.]]
Many hundreds of fruits, including fleshy fruits like ], ], ], ], ] and ] are commercially valuable as ] food, eaten both fresh and as ]s, ] and other ]. Fruits are also in manufactured foods like ]s, ]s, ], ], ]s, and many more. Many fruits are used to make beverages, such as fruit juices (], ], ], etc) or ], such as ] or ].<ref>{{cite book |last= McGee |title=On Food and Cooking |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=0684800012&id=iX05JaZXRz0C&pg=PA350&lpg=PA350&sig=mRABdaXizly6iRNRVGLBT9KFNs4
|pages=Chapter 7: A Survey of Common Fruits |nopp= true}}</ref> ]s are often used to make ].Fruits are also used for gift giving, ] and ] are some common forms of fruit gifts.


Examples include:
Many vegetables are botanical fruits, including ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].<ref>{{cite book |last= McGee |title=On Food and Cooking |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=0684800012&id=iX05JaZXRz0C&pg=PA300&lpg=PA299&sig=qzosecWWwdrc_oP5K8_-9VJxzYA
* ] – in culinary terms, the tomato is regarded as a vegetable, but it is botanically classified as a fruit and a berry.<ref name="abadi">{{cite web |author1=Mark Abadi |title=A tomato is actually a fruit — but it's a vegetable at the same time |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/tomato-fruit-or-vegetable-2018-5 |publisher=Business Insider |access-date=21 November 2019 |date=26 May 2018 |archive-date=15 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215004602/https://www.businessinsider.com/tomato-fruit-or-vegetable-2018-5 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|pages=Chapter 6: A Survey of Common Vegetables |nopp= true}}</ref> ] fruit is pressed for ]. Spices like ], ], ] and ] are derived from berries.<ref>{{cite book |last=Farrell |first=Kenneth T. |title=Spices, Condiments and Seasonings |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=0834213370&id=ehAFUhWV4QMC&pg=PA17&lpg=PA17&sig=kKUhWXqSF7EpTw70-XWN-LFega8 |date=November 1 1999 |publisher=Springer |isbn=0-8342-1337-0 |pages=17–19 }}</ref>
* ] – the fruit has been described as a "leathery berry".<ref>Smith, James P. (1977). Vascular Plant Families. Eureka, Calif.: Mad River Press. ISBN 978-0-916422-07-3.</ref> In cultivated varieties, the seeds are diminished nearly to non-existence.
* ] – berries with skin that is hardened: ], including gourds, squash, melons.
* ] – berries with a rind and a juicy interior: most ] fruit.
* ], ], ], ].


The strawberry, regardless of its appearance, is classified as a dry, not a fleshy fruit. Botanically, it is not a ]; it is an ] fruit, the latter term meaning the fleshy part is derived not from the plant's ovaries but from the ] that holds the ].<ref name="Esau">Esau, K. (1977). ''Anatomy of seed plants''. John Wiley and Sons, New York. {{ISBN|0-471-24520-8}}</ref> Numerous dry ]s are attached to the outside of the fruit-flesh; they appear to be seeds but each is actually an ovary of a flower, with a seed inside.<ref name="Esau" />
===Nutritional value===
Fruits are generally high in ], ] and ]. Fruits also contain various ] that do not yet have an RDA/RDI listing under most nutritional factsheets, and which research indicates are required for proper long-term cellular health and disease prevention. Regular consumption of fruit is associated with reduced risks of cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, Alzheimer disease, cataracts, and some of the functional declines associated with aging.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/78/3/517S|title=Health benefits of fruit and vegetables are from additive and synergistic combinations of phytochemicals - Liu 78 (3): 517S - American Journal of Clinical Nutrition<!-- Bot generated title -->}}</ref>


]s are dry fruits, though some appear to be fleshy. They originate from syncarpous ovaries but do not actually ]; rather, they split into segments with one or more seeds. They include a number of different forms from a wide range of families, including ], ], ], ].<ref name="plants_systematics" />
===Nonfood uses===
Because fruits have been such a major part of the ] diet, different cultures have developed many different uses for various fruits that they do not depend on as being edible. Many dry fruits are used as decorations or in dried flower arrangements, such as ], ], ], ] and ]. Ornamental ]s and ]s are often cultivated for their colorful fruits, including ], ], ], ], ] and ].<ref>{{cite book |last=Adams |first=Denise Wiles |title=Restoring American Gardens: An Encyclopedia of Heirloom Ornamental Plants, 1640-1940 |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=0881926191&id=J30SOqPLMOEC&pg=PA3&lpg=PA3&sig=AniDCcooYARUBXRUWpGB1ACff88 |date=February 1, 2004 |publisher=Timber Press |isbn=0-88192-619-1 }}</ref>


=== Aggregate fruits<span class="anchor" id="Aggregate fruits"></span> ===
Fruits of ] are the source of ] which contains the drugs ] and codeine, as well as the biologically inactive chemical theabaine from which the drug oxycodone is synthysized.<ref>{{cite book |last=Booth |first=Martin |authorlink=Martin Booth |title=Opium: A History |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=0312206674&id=kHRyZEQ5rC4C |date=June 12 1999 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn=0-312-20667-4 }}</ref> ] fruits are used to repel ]es.<ref>{{cite book |last=Cothran |first=James R. |title=Gardens and Historic Plants of the Antebellum South |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=1570035016&id=s8OcSmOKeCkC&pg=PA221&lpg=PA221&dq=cockroaches&sig=BO8wcOHAKIRaQY-hOuAp-UfVO4E |date=November 1, 2003 |publisher=University of South Carolina Press |isbn=1-57003-501-6 |pages=221}}</ref> ] fruits provide a wax often used to make candles.<ref>{{cite book |last=K |first=Amber |title=Candlemas: Feast of Flames |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=0738700797&id=WQL4W13EYlUC&pg=PA155&lpg=PA155&dq=bayberry&sig=eLi88WIj35Kr26iApnEUmn20ya8 |date=December 1, 2001 |publisher=Llewellyn Worldwide |isbn=0-7387-0079-7 |pages=155}}</ref> Many fruits provide ] dyes, e.g. ], ], ] and ].<ref>{{cite book |last=Adrosko |first=Rita J. |title=Natural Dyes and Home Dyeing: A Practical Guide with over 150 Recipes |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=0486226883&id=EElNckPn0FUC |date=June 1, 1971 |publisher=Courier Dover Publications |isbn=0-486-22688-3 }}</ref> Dried ]s are used as decorations, water jugs, bird houses, musical instruments, cups and dishes. ]s are carved into ]s for ]. The spiny fruit of ] or ] were the inspiration for the invention of ].<ref>{{cite book |last=Wake |first=Warren |title=Design Paradigms: A Sourcebook for Creative Visualization |url=http://books.google.com/books?visbn=0471299766&id=j2n1BCqxWjcC&pg=PA162&lpg=PA162&sig=fl01iJ4z3HaLBm6nJ83WMLggpVk |date=March 13, 2000 |publisher=John Wiley and Sons |id=ISBN |pages=162–163}}</ref>
{{Main|Aggregate fruit}}
] is the apical (at the apex) nodule that receives pollen; the ] is the stem-like column that extends down to the ], which is the basal part that contains the seed-forming ].]]
]'' unripe capsule fruit; an aggregate fruit.]]
An aggregate fruit is also called an aggregation, or '']''; it develops from a single flower that presents numerous simple ]s.<ref name="Schlegel 2003 16"/> Each pistil contains one ]; together, they form a fruitlet. The ultimate (fruiting) development of the aggregation of pistils is called an ''aggregate fruit'', ''etaerio fruit'', or simply an ''etaerio''.


Different types of aggregate fruits can produce different etaerios, such as achenes, drupelets, follicles, and berries.
] is a fibre from the fruit of ] that is used for doormats, brushes, mattresses, floortiles, sacking, insulation and as a growing medium for container plants. The shell of the coconut fruit is used to make souvenir heads, cups, bowls, musical instruments and bird houses.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.coconut.com/museum/uses.html
| title = The Many Uses of the Coconut
| accessdate =2006-09-14| publisher = The Coconut Museum
}}</ref>


* For example, the Ranunculaceae species, including '']'' and '']'', produces an etaerio of ]s;
Fruit is often also used as a subject of still life paintings.
* '']'' species, including raspberry: an etaerio of ]s;
* '']'' species: an etaerio of ]s fruit;
* '']'' species: an etaerio of ].<ref name=Gupta>{{cite book|title=Genetics Classical To Modern|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uIfSEdff6YgC&pg=RA1-PA2134|author=Gupta, Prof. P.K.|publisher=Rastogi Publication|pages=2–134|isbn=978-81-7133-896-2|year=2007|access-date=2015-11-28|archive-date=2024-01-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130053940/https://books.google.com/books?id=uIfSEdff6YgC&pg=RA1-PA2134#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rkv.rgukt.in/content/Biology/47Module/47fruit.pdf|title=Rgukt.in|website=www.rkv.rgukt.in}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>


Some other broadly recognized species and their etaerios (or aggregations) are:
== Production ==
* ]; fruit is an aggregation of ]s.
* ]; fruit is an aggregation of ].
* ] and ]; fruit is an aggregation of follicles.
* ]; fruit is an aggregation of capsules.
* ]; fruit is an aggregation of achenes.


The pistils of the ] are called ''drupelets'' because each pistil is like a small ] attached to the receptacle. In some ] fruits, such as ], the receptacle, an accessory part, elongates and then develops as part of the fruit, making the blackberry an ] fruit.<ref>{{cite book |last=McGee |title=On Food and Cooking |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iX05JaZXRz0C&q=On+Food+And+Cooking&pg=PA361 |pages=361–62 |isbn=978-0-684-80001-1 |year=2004 |publisher=] |access-date=2020-10-06 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130053822/https://books.google.com/books?id=iX05JaZXRz0C&q=On+Food+And+Cooking&pg=PA361#v=snippet&q=On%20Food%20And%20Cooking&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> The strawberry is also an aggregate-accessory fruit, of which the seeds are contained in the ]s.<ref>{{cite book |last=McGee |title=On Food and Cooking |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iX05JaZXRz0C&q=On+Food+And+Cooking&pg=PA364 |pages=364–65 |isbn=978-0-684-80001-1 |year=2004 |publisher=] |access-date=2020-10-06 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130053947/https://books.google.com/books?id=iX05JaZXRz0C&q=On+Food+And+Cooking&pg=PA364#v=snippet&q=On%20Food%20And%20Cooking&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> Notably in all these examples, the fruit develops from a single flower, with numerous pistils.
{| border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="wikitable"
! colspan=5|Top Ten fresh fruit Producers — 2005
|-
!width="30%"| Country
!width="25%"| Production (Int $1000)
!width="10%"| Footnote
!width="25%"| Production (MT)
!width="10%"| Footnote
|-
| {{IND}} ||1,052,766 ||C ||6,600,000 ||F
|-
| {{VNM}} ||438,652 ||C ||2,750,000 ||F
|-
| {{PRC}} ||271,167 ||C ||1,790,000 ||F
|-
| {{IDN}} ||255,216 ||C ||1,600,000 ||F
|-
| {{NGR}} ||223,314 ||C ||1,400,000 ||F
|-
| {{IRN}} ||223,314 ||C ||1,400,000 ||F
|-
| {{MMR}} ||183,436 ||C ||1,150,000 ||F
|-
| {{PNG}} ||129,203 ||C ||810,000 ||F
|-
| {{NEP}} ||82,945 ||C ||520,000 ||F
|-
| {{DPRK}} ||78,160 ||C ||490,000 ||F
|-
|colspan=5 style="font-size:.7em"|No symbol = official figure,F = FAO estimate, * = Unofficial figure, C = Calculated figure;<br />
Production in Int $1000 have been calculated based on 1999-2001 international prices<br />
Source:
|}


=== Multiple fruits ===
{| border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="wikitable"
{{Main|Multiple fruit}}
! colspan=5|Top Ten tropical fresh fruit Producers — 2005
A multiple fruit is formed from a cluster of flowers, (a 'multiple' of flowers) – also called an '']''. Each ('smallish') flower produces a single fruitlet, which, as all develop, all merge into one mass of fruit.<ref>{{cite book |last=Schlegel |title=Encyclopedic Dictionary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7J-3fD67RqwC&q=acarpous&pg=PA282 |page=282 |isbn=978-1-56022-950-6 |year=2003 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |access-date=2020-10-06 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130053823/https://books.google.com/books?id=7J-3fD67RqwC&q=acarpous&pg=PA282 |url-status=live }}</ref> Examples include ], ], ], ], and ]. An inflorescence (a cluster) of white flowers, called a head, is produced first. After ], each flower in the cluster develops into a drupe; as the drupes expand, they develop as a '']'' organ, merging into a multiple fleshy fruit called a ''syncarp''.

Progressive stages of multiple flowering and fruit development can be observed on a single branch of the Indian mulberry, or '']''. During the sequence of development, a progression of second, third, and more inflorescences are initiated in turn at the head of the branch or stem.

=== Accessory fruit forms ===
{{Main|Accessory fruit}}
Fruits may incorporate tissues derived from other floral parts besides the ovary, including the receptacle, hypanthium, petals, or sepals. Accessory fruits occur in all three classes of fruit development – simple, aggregate, and multiple. Accessory fruits are frequently designated by the hyphenated term showing both characters. For example, a pineapple is a multiple-accessory fruit, a blackberry is an aggregate-accessory fruit, and an apple is a simple-accessory fruit.

=== Table of fleshy fruit examples ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Types of fleshy fruits
! Type
! Examples
|- |-
| Simple fleshy fruit
!width="30%"| Country
| ], ], ]
!width="25%"| Production (Int $1000)
!width="10%"| Footnote
!width="25%"| Production (MT)
!width="10%"| Footnote
|- |-
| Aggregate fruit
| {{PHI}} || 389,164 || C || 3,400,000 || F
| ], ], ], ], ], ], ]
|- |-
| Multiple fruit
| {{IDN}} || 377,718 || C || 3,300,000 || F
| ], ], ], ]
|- |-
| True berry
| {{IND}} || 335,368 || C || 2,930,000 || F
| ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]
|- |-
| True berry: Pepo
| {{PRC}} || 177,413 || C || 2,164,000 || F
| ], ], ], ]
|- |-
| True berry: Hesperidium
| {{COL}} || 131,629 || C || 1,150,000 || F
| ], ], ], ]
|- |-
| Accessory fruit
| {{THA}} || 83,556 || C || 730,000 || F
| ], ], ], pineapple, blackberry, strawberry
|-
| {{PAK}} || 60,893 || C || 532,000 || F
|-
| {{BRA}} || 55,513 || C || 485,000 || F
|-
| {{BAN}} || 31,934 || C || 279,000 || F
|-
| {{MEX}} || 28,615 || C || 250,000 || F
|-
|colspan=5 style="font-size:.7em"|No symbol = official figure, F = FAO estimate, * = Unofficial figure, C = Calculated figure;<br />
Production in Int $1000 have been calculated based on 1999-2001 international prices<br />
Source:
|} |}

== Seedless fruits ==
]s as well as the ]s of many flowers. It is a ].]]
Seedlessness is an important feature of some fruits of commerce. Commercial ]s of bananas and pineapples are examples of ]s. Some cultivars of ] fruits (especially ], ]s, ]s, ]), ]s, and of ]s are valued for their seedlessness. In some species, seedlessness is the result of '']'', where fruits set without fertilization. Parthenocarpic fruit-set may (or may not) require pollination, but most seedless citrus fruits require a stimulus from pollination to produce fruit.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Agusti |first1=Manuel |last2=Primo-Millo |first2=Eduardo |date=2020 |title=The Genus Citrus |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128121634000115 |publisher=Woodhead Publishing |pages=219–244 |isbn=978-0-12-812163-4 |access-date=2021-10-28 |archive-date=2021-10-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028010214/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128121634000115 |url-status=live }}</ref> Seedless bananas and grapes are ]s, and seedlessness results from the abortion of the ]nic plant that is produced by fertilization, a phenomenon known as '']'', which requires normal pollination and fertilization.<ref name="Spiegel87">{{cite book |last=Spiegel-Roy |first=P. |author2=E.E. Goldschmidt |title=The Biology of Citrus |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SmRJnd73dbYC&q=parthenocarpy&pg=PA87 |year=1996 |publisher=] |isbn=978-0-521-33321-4 |pages=87–88 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

== Seed dissemination ==
Variations in fruit structures largely depend on the ] applied to their seeds. Dispersal is achieved by wind or water, by ], and by interactions with animals.<ref name="Capon198">{{cite book |last=Capon |first=Brian |title=Botany for Gardeners |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z2s9v__6rp4C&q=coconut+dispersal&pg=PA198 |year=2005 |publisher=Timber Press |isbn=978-0-88192-655-2 |pages=198–99 |access-date=2020-10-06 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130054356/https://books.google.com/books?id=Z2s9v__6rp4C&q=coconut+dispersal&pg=PA198 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Some fruits present their outer skins or shells coated with spikes or hooked burrs; these evolved either to deter would-be foragers from feeding on them or to serve to attach themselves to the hair, feathers, legs, or clothing of animals, thereby using them as dispersal agents. These plants are termed ]; common examples include ], ], and ].<ref>{{cite book |last=Heiser |first=Charles B. |title=Weeds in My Garden: Observations on Some Misunderstood Plants |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nN1ohECdSC8C&q=cocklebur&pg=PA93 |year=2003 |publisher=Timber Press |isbn=978-0-88192-562-3 |pages=93–95 |access-date=2020-10-06 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130054449/https://books.google.com/books?id=nN1ohECdSC8C&q=cocklebur&pg=PA93 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Heiser |title=Weeds in My Garden |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nN1ohECdSC8C&q=cocklebur&pg=PA164 |pages=162–64 |isbn=978-0-88192-562-3 |year=2003 |publisher=Timber Press |access-date=2020-10-06 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130054359/https://books.google.com/books?id=nN1ohECdSC8C&q=cocklebur&pg=PA164 |url-status=live }}</ref>

By developments of mutual evolution, the fleshy produce of fruits typically appeals to hungry animals, such that the seeds contained within are taken in, carried away, and later deposited (i.e., ]) at a distance from the parent plant. Likewise, the nutritious, oily kernels of ] typically motivate birds and ]s to ] them, burying them in soil to retrieve later during the winter of scarcity; thereby, uneaten seeds are sown effectively under natural conditions to ] and grow a new plant some distance away from the parent.<ref name="McGee247" />

Other fruits have evolved flattened and elongated wings or helicopter-like blades, e.g., ], ], and ]. This mechanism increases dispersal distance away from the parent via wind. Other wind-dispersed fruit have tiny "]", e.g., ], ], ].<ref name="Capon198" />

] fruits can float thousands of miles in the ocean, thereby spreading their seeds. Other fruits that can disperse via water are ] and ].<ref name="Capon198" />

Some fruits have evolved propulsive mechanisms that fling seeds substantial distances – perhaps up to {{cvt|100|m}} in the case of the ] – via explosive dehiscence or other such mechanisms (see ] and ]).<ref>{{cite book |last=Feldkamp |first=Susan |title=Modern Biology |url=https://archive.org/details/modernbiology00feld |url-access=registration |year=2002 |publisher=Holt, Rinehart, and Winston |isbn=978-0-88192-562-3 |page=}}</ref>

== Food uses ==
{{Cookbook|Fruit}}]

]]] A ] of fruits – fleshy (simple) fruits from apples to berries to watermelon; dry (simple) fruits including beans and rice and coconuts; aggregate fruits including strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, pawpaw; and multiple fruits such as pineapple, fig, mulberries – are commercially valuable as human food. They are eaten both fresh and as jams, marmalade and other ]. They are used extensively in manufactured and processed foods (cakes, cookies, baked goods, flavorings, ice cream, yogurt, canned vegetables, frozen vegetables and meals) and beverages such as fruit juices and ] (brandy, ], wine).<ref>{{cite book |last=McGee |title=On Food and Cooking |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iX05JaZXRz0C&pg=PA350 |pages=Chapter 7: A Survey of Common Fruits |no-pp=true |isbn=978-0-684-80001-1 |year=2004 |publisher=] |access-date=2020-05-09 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130054329/https://books.google.com/books?id=iX05JaZXRz0C&pg=PA350#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> Spices like vanilla, black pepper, paprika, and ] are derived from berries. ] is pressed for ] and similar processing is applied to other oil-bearing fruits and vegetables.<ref>{{cite book |last=Farrell |first=Kenneth T. |title=Spices, Condiments and Seasonings |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ehAFUhWV4QMC&pg=PA17 |year=1999 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-0-8342-1337-1 |pages=17–19 |access-date=2020-05-09 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130054326/https://books.google.com/books?id=ehAFUhWV4QMC&pg=PA17#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> Some fruits are available all year round, while others (such as blackberries and apricots in the UK) are subject to ] availability.<ref>], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230625035429/https://www.countrysideonline.co.uk/articles/a-guide-to-british-fruit-and-vegetables/ |date=2023-06-25 }}, ''Countryside'', published 6 October 2022, accessed 25 June 2023</ref>

Fruits are also used for socializing and gift-giving in the form of ]s and ]s.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Best Gift Baskets for the Holidays - Consumer Reports|url=https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/11/best-gift-baskets-for-the-holidays/index.htm|access-date=2021-03-13|website=www.consumerreports.org|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-06-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602214831/https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/11/best-gift-baskets-for-the-holidays/index.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=O'Connor|first=Clare|title=How Edible Arrangements Sold $500 Million Of Fruit Bouquets In 2013|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2014/04/08/how-edible-arrangements-sold-500-million-of-fruit-bouquets-in-2013/|access-date=2021-03-13|website=Forbes|language=en|archive-date=2022-05-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521010141/https://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2014/04/08/how-edible-arrangements-sold-500-million-of-fruit-bouquets-in-2013/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Typically, many botanical fruits – "vegetables" in culinary parlance – (including tomato, green beans, leaf greens, bell pepper, cucumber, eggplant, okra, pumpkin, squash, zucchini) are bought and sold daily in fresh produce markets and ]ies and carried back to kitchens, at home or restaurant, for preparation of meals.<ref>{{cite book |last=McGee |title=On Food and Cooking |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iX05JaZXRz0C&pg=PA300 |pages=Chapter 6: A Survey of Common Vegetables |no-pp=true |isbn=978-0-684-80001-1 |year=2004 |publisher=] |access-date=2020-05-09 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130054327/https://books.google.com/books?id=iX05JaZXRz0C&pg=PA300#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Storage ===
All fruits benefit from proper post-harvest care, and in many fruits, the plant hormone ] causes ]. Therefore, maintaining most fruits in an efficient ] is optimal for post-harvest storage, with the aim of extending and ensuring shelf life.<ref name=pxkf>Why Cold Chain for Fruits: {{cite web |first= Pawanexh |last= Kohli |year= 2008 |title= Fruits and Vegetables Post-Harvest Care: The Basics |url= http://crosstree.info/Documents/Care%20of%20F%20n%20V.pdf |publisher= Crosstree Techno-visors |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161204061346/http://www.crosstree.info/Documents/Care |archive-date= 2016-12-04 |access-date= 2009-09-28 }}</ref>

=== Nutritional value ===
]) in a serving of fruit (see key at upper right). The amount of vitamin C (as percent RDA) is plotted on the x–axis and the amount of potassium (K), in mg on the y–axis. Bananas are high in value for fiber and potassium, and oranges for fiber and vitamin C. (Apricots are highest in potassium; strawberries are rich in vitamin C.) Watermelon, providing low levels of both K and vitamin C and almost no fiber, is of least value for the three ]s together.]]

Various culinary fruits provide significant amounts of ] and water, and many are generally high in ].<ref name=Hulme1970>{{cite book |year=1970 |author =Hulme AC |title=The Biochemistry of Fruits and Their Products |place=London & New York |publisher=Academic Press }}</ref> An overview of numerous studies showed that fruits (e.g., whole apples or whole oranges) are satisfying (filling) by simply eating and chewing them.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Holt|first1=S. H.|last2=Miller|first2=J. C. |last3=Petocz|first3=P. |last4=Farmakalidis|first4=E.|date=September 1995 |title=A satiety index of common foods|journal=European Journal of Clinical Nutrition|volume=49 |issue=9|pages=675–690|issn=0954-3007|pmid=7498104}}</ref>

The dietary fiber consumed in eating fruit promotes ], and may help to control body weight and aid reduction of blood ], a ] for ].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Brown|first1=L.|last2=Rosner|first2=B.|last3=Willett|first3=W. W.|last4=Sacks|first4=F. M.|date=January 1999|title=Cholesterol-lowering effects of dietary fiber: a meta-analysis|journal=The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition|volume=69|issue=1|pages=30–42|doi=10.1093/ajcn/69.1.30|issn=0002-9165|pmid=9925120|doi-access=free}}</ref> Fruit consumption is under preliminary research for the potential to improve nutrition and affect chronic diseases.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Aune D, Giovannucci E, Boffetta P, Fadnes LT, Keum N, Norat T, Greenwood DC, Riboli E, Vatten LJ, Tonstad S.|title=Fruit and vegetable intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease|journal=International Journal of Epidemiology|date=2017|url=https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/46/3/1029/3039477|volume=46|issue=3|pages=1029–1056|doi=10.1093/ije/dyw319|pmid=28338764|pmc=5837313|access-date=2021-09-12|archive-date=2017-10-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006100306/https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/doi/10.1093/ije/dyw319/3039477/Fruit-and-vegetable-intake-and-the-risk-of|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Angelino D, Godos J, Ghelfi F, Tieri M, Titta L, Lafranconi A, Marventano S, Alonzo E, Gambera A, Sciacca S, Buscemi S, Ray S, Galvano F, Del Rio D, Grosso G.|title=Fruit and vegetable consumption and health outcomes: an umbrella review of observational studies|journal=International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition|date=2019|volume=70|issue=6|pages=652–667|doi=10.1080/09637486.2019.1571021|pmid=30764679|s2cid=73455999|url=https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/7725224|access-date=2023-06-19|archive-date=2024-01-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130054332/https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Fruit_and_vegetable_consumption_and_health_outcomes_an_umbrella_review_of_observational_studies/7725224|url-status=live}}</ref> Regular consumption of fruit is generally associated with reduced risks of several diseases and functional declines associated with aging.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lim|first1=Stephen S.|last2=Vos|first2=Theo|last3=Flaxman|first3=Abraham D.|last4=Danaei|first4=Goodarz|last5=Shibuya|first5=Kenji|last6=Adair-Rohani|first6=Heather|last7=Amann|first7=Markus|last8=Anderson|first8=H. Ross|last9=Andrews|first9=Kathryn G.|date=2012-12-15|title=A comparative risk assessment of burden of disease and injury attributable to 67 risk factors and risk factor clusters in 21 regions, 1990-2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010|journal=Lancet|volume=380|issue=9859|pages=2224–60|doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61766-8|issn=1474-547X|pmc=4156511|pmid=23245609}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|journal=BMJ|year=2014|issue=Jul 29|volume=349|page=g4490|doi=10.1136/bmj.g4490|title= Fruit and vegetable consumption and mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies|vauthors=Wang X, Ouyang Y, Liu J, Zhu M, Zhao G, Bao W, Hu FB |pmid=25073782|pmc=4115152}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Yip|first1=Cynthia Sau Chun|last2=Chan|first2=Wendy|last3=Fielding|first3=Richard|date=March 2019|title=The Associations of Fruit and Vegetable Intakes with Burden of Diseases: A Systematic Review of Meta-Analyses|journal=Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics|volume=119|issue=3|pages=464–481|doi=10.1016/j.jand.2018.11.007|issn=2212-2672|pmid=30639206|s2cid=58628014}}</ref>

=== Food safety ===
For ], the ] recommends proper fruit handling and preparation to reduce the risk of ] and ]. Fresh fruits and vegetables should be carefully selected; at the store, they should not be damaged or bruised; and precut pieces should be refrigerated or surrounded by ice.

All fruits and vegetables should be rinsed before eating. This recommendation also applies to produce with rinds or skins that are not eaten. It should be done just before preparing or eating to avoid premature spoilage.

Fruits and vegetables should be kept separate from raw foods like meat, poultry, and seafood, as well as from utensils that have come in contact with raw foods. Fruits and vegetables that are not going to be cooked should be thrown away if they have touched raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs.

All cut, peeled, or cooked fruits and vegetables should be refrigerated within two hours. After a certain time, harmful bacteria may grow on them and increase the risk of foodborne illness.<ref name=cdc>{{cite web|url=http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/health_professionals/food_safety.html|title=Nutrition for Everyone: Fruits and Vegetables – DNPAO – CDC|work=fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090509004401/http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/health_professionals/food_safety.html|archive-date=2009-05-09}}</ref>

=== Allergies ===
Fruit allergies make up about 10 percent of all food-related allergies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=9&sub=20&cont=286 |title=Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America |publisher=Aafa.org |access-date=2014-04-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006052320/http://aafa.org/display.cfm?id=9&sub=20&cont=286 |archive-date=2012-10-06 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qS8DqmZLHPUC&q=fruit+peel+allergen&pg=PA171 |title=The Wellness Project |author=Roy Mankovitz |date=2010 |publisher=Montecito Wellness LLC |access-date=2014-04-25 |isbn=978-0-9801584-4-1 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130054434/https://books.google.com/books?id=qS8DqmZLHPUC&q=fruit+peel+allergen&pg=PA171#v=snippet&q=fruit%20peel%20allergen&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Nonfood uses ==
] is usually planted for its ], colourful berries.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/porcelain-vine#destination |title= Porcelain vine |access-date= 2020-11-24 |publisher= The Morton Arboretum |archive-date= 2020-12-25 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201225184959/https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/porcelain-vine#destination |url-status= dead }}</ref>]]
Because fruits have been such a major part of the human diet, various cultures have developed many different uses for fruits they do not depend on for food. For example:

* ] fruits provide a wax often used to make candles;<ref>{{cite book |last=K |first=Amber |title=Candlemas: Feast of Flames |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WQL4W13EYlUC&q=bayberry&pg=PA155 |date=December 1, 2001 |publisher=Llewellyn Worldwide |isbn=978-0-7387-0079-3 |page=155 |access-date=October 6, 2020 |archive-date=January 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130054858/https://books.google.com/books?id=WQL4W13EYlUC&q=bayberry&pg=PA155#v=snippet&q=bayberry&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Many dry fruits are used as decorations or in dried flower arrangements (e.g., ], ], ], ], ], and ]). ]s and shrubs are often cultivated for their colorful fruits, including ], ], ], ], ], and ].<ref>{{cite book |last=Adams |first=Denise Wiles |title=Restoring American Gardens: An Encyclopedia of Heirloom Ornamental Plants, 1640–1940 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J30SOqPLMOEC&pg=PA3 |year=2004 |publisher=Timber Press |isbn=978-0-88192-619-4 |access-date=2020-05-09 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130054835/https://books.google.com/books?id=J30SOqPLMOEC&pg=PA3 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Fruits of ] are the source of ], which contains the drugs ] and ], as well as the biologically inactive chemical theabaine from which the drug ] is synthesized.<ref>{{cite book |last=Booth |first=Martin |author-link=Martin Booth |title=Opium: A History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kHRyZEQ5rC4C |year=1999 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn=978-0-312-20667-3 |access-date=2020-05-09 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130054836/https://books.google.com/books?id=kHRyZEQ5rC4C |url-status=live }}</ref>
* ] fruits are used to repel ]es.<ref>{{cite book |last=Cothran |first=James R. |title=Gardens and Historic Plants of the Antebellum South |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s8OcSmOKeCkC&q=cockroaches&pg=PA221 |year=2003 |publisher=University of South Carolina Press |isbn=978-1-57003-501-2 |page=221 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
* Many fruits provide ]s (e.g., ], ], ], and ]).<ref>{{cite book |last=Adrosko |first=Rita J. |title=Natural Dyes and Home Dyeing: A Practical Guide with over 150 Recipes |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EElNckPn0FUC |year=1971 |publisher=Courier Dover Publications |isbn=978-0-486-22688-0 |access-date=2020-05-09 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130054946/https://books.google.com/books?id=EElNckPn0FUC |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Dried ]s are used as bird houses, cups, decorations, dishes, musical instruments, and water jugs.
* ]s are carved into ]s for ].<ref>Nathaniel Hawthorne, "The Great Carbuncle", in ''Twice-Told Tales'', 1837: Hide it under thy cloak, say'st thou? Why, it will gleam through the holes, and make thee look like a jack-o'-lantern!</ref>
* The fibrous core of the mature and dry ] fruit is used as a sponge.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grow Your Own Loofah Sponges at Home for Pennies (Yes, You Really Can!) |url=https://draxe.com/beauty/loofah-sponge/ |access-date=2023-01-02 |website=Dr. Axe |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-01-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230102232850/https://draxe.com/beauty/loofah-sponge/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* The spiny fruit of ] or ] inspired the invention of ].<ref>{{cite book |last=Wake |first=Warren |title=Design Paradigms: A Sourcebook for Creative Visualization |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j2n1BCqxWjcC&pg=PA162 |year=2000 |publisher=John Wiley and Sons |pages=162–63 |isbn=978-0-471-29976-9 |access-date=2020-05-09 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130054941/https://books.google.com/books?id=j2n1BCqxWjcC&pg=PA162#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>
* ] fiber from ] shells is used for brushes, doormats, floor tiles, insulation, mattresses, sacking, and as a growing medium for container plants. The shell of the coconut fruit is used to make bird houses, bowls, cups, musical instruments, and souvenir heads.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.coconut.com/museum/uses.html |title= The Many Uses of the Coconut |access-date= 2006-09-14 |publisher= The Coconut Museum |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060906231208/http://www.coconut.com/museum/uses.html |archive-date= 2006-09-06 }}</ref>
* The hard and colorful grain fruits of ] are used as decorative beads for jewelry, garments, and ritual objects.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Watt |first1=George |author1-link=George Watt (botanist) |title=Coix spp. (Job's tears) |journal=Agricultural Ledger |volume=11 |number=13 |date=1904 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nlbyAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA189 |pages=191 |access-date=2023-01-02 |archive-date=2024-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130054942/https://books.google.com/books?id=nlbyAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA189#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Fruit is often a subject of ] paintings.


== See also == == See also ==
{{Portal|Food|Plants}}
* ]
* ]s * ]
* ]
* ] * ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]


== References == == References ==
{{reflist|2}} {{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Gollner, Adam J. (2010). ''The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Adventure, Commerce, and Obsession''. Scribner. {{ISBN|978-0-7432-9695-3}}.
* Watson, R. R., and Preedy, V.R. (2010, eds.). ''Bioactive Foods in Promoting Health: Fruits and Vegetables''. Academic Press. {{ISBN|978-0-12-374628-3}}.


== External links == == External links ==
* at bioimages.Vanderbilt.edu (archived 18 February 2007)
{{wiktionary|Fruit}}
* at bioimages.Vanderbilt.edu (archived 25 April 2017)
{{commonscat}}
* ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712003428/http://www.crfg.org/pubs/frtfacts.html |date=2020-07-12 }} from California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc.)
{{cookbook}}
* ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109110037/http://www.crosstree.info/Documents/Fruit%20ID0.pdf |date=2021-01-09 }} by Capt. Pawanexh Kohli)
* at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Fruit|short=x}}
* at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu

* from California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc.
{{Sister bar|auto=yes|wikt=fruit|cookbook=Fruit}}
*
{{-}} {{Fruits}}
{{fruits}}
{{Botany}} {{Botany}}
{{Veganism and vegetarianism}}
{{Authority control}}


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Latest revision as of 11:58, 28 December 2024

Seed-bearing part of a flowering plant For other uses, see Fruit (disambiguation).

see caption
Various edible fruits arranged at a stall at the Municipal Market of São Paulo
Fresh fruit mix of blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries

In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering (see Fruit anatomy).

Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propagated using the movements of humans and other animals in a symbiotic relationship that is the means for seed dispersal for the one group and nutrition for the other; humans, and many other animals, have become dependent on fruits as a source of food. Consequently, fruits account for a substantial fraction of the world's agricultural output, and some (such as the apple and the pomegranate) have acquired extensive cultural and symbolic meanings.

In common language and culinary usage, fruit normally means the seed-associated fleshy structures (or produce) of plants that typically are sweet (or sour) and edible in the raw state, such as apples, bananas, grapes, lemons, oranges, and strawberries. In botanical usage, the term fruit also includes many structures that are not commonly called as such in everyday language, such as nuts, bean pods, corn kernels, tomatoes, and wheat grains.

Botanical vs. culinary

See also: Vegetable § Terminology
An arrangement of fruits commonly thought of as culinary vegetables, including corn (maize), tomatoes, and various squash

Many common language terms used for fruit and seeds differ from botanical classifications. For example, in botany, a fruit is a ripened ovary or carpel that contains seeds, e.g., an orange, pomegranate, tomato or a pumpkin. A nut is a type of fruit (and not a seed), and a seed is a ripened ovule.

In culinary language, a fruit is the sweet- or not sweet- (even sour-) tasting produce of a specific plant (e.g., a peach, pear or lemon); nuts are hard, oily, non-sweet plant produce in shells (hazelnut, acorn). Vegetables, so-called, typically are savory or non-sweet produce (zucchini, lettuce, broccoli, and tomato). but some may be sweet-tasting (sweet potato).

Fresh Fruit Plate.

Examples of botanically classified fruit that are typically called vegetables include cucumber, pumpkin, and squash (all are cucurbits); beans, peanuts, and peas (all legumes); and corn, eggplant, bell pepper (or sweet pepper), and tomato. Many spices are fruits, botanically speaking, including black pepper, chili pepper, cumin and allspice. In contrast, rhubarb is often called a fruit when used in making pies, but the edible produce of rhubarb is actually the leaf stalk or petiole of the plant. Edible gymnosperm seeds are often given fruit names, e.g., ginkgo nuts and pine nuts.

Botanically, a cereal grain, such as corn, rice, or wheat is a kind of fruit (termed a caryopsis). However, the fruit wall is thin and fused to the seed coat, so almost all the edible grain-fruit is actually a seed.

Structure

Main article: Fruit anatomy
Pomegranate fruit – whole and piece with arils
Fruit Platter- Seasonal Fruits.

The outer layer, often edible, of most fruits is called the pericarp. Typically formed from the ovary, it surrounds the seeds; in some species, however, other structural tissues contribute to or form the edible portion. The pericarp may be described in three layers from outer to inner, i.e., the epicarp, mesocarp and endocarp.

Fruit that bears a prominent pointed terminal projection is said to be beaked.

Development

A fruit results from the fertilizing and maturing of one or more flowers. The gynoecium, which contains the stigma-style-ovary system, is centered in the flower-head, and it forms all or part of the fruit. Inside the ovary(ies) are one or more ovules. Here begins a complex sequence called double fertilization: a female gametophyte produces an egg cell for the purpose of fertilization. (A female gametophyte is called a megagametophyte, and also called the embryo sac.) After double fertilization, the ovules will become seeds.

Ovules are fertilized in a process that starts with pollination, which is the movement of pollen from the stamens to the stigma-style-ovary system within the flower-head. After pollination, a pollen tube grows from the (deposited) pollen through the stigma down the style into the ovary to the ovule. Two sperm are transferred from the pollen to a megagametophyte. Within the megagametophyte, one sperm unites with the egg, forming a zygote, while the second sperm enters the central cell forming the endosperm mother cell, which completes the double fertilization process. Later, the zygote will give rise to the embryo of the seed, and the endosperm mother cell will give rise to endosperm, a nutritive tissue used by the embryo.

As the ovules develop into seeds, the ovary begins to ripen and the ovary wall, the pericarp, may become fleshy (as in berries or drupes), or it may form a hard outer covering (as in nuts). In some multi-seeded fruits, the extent to which a fleshy structure develops is proportional to the number of fertilized ovules. The pericarp typically is differentiated into two or three distinct layers; these are called the exocarp (outer layer, also called epicarp), mesocarp (middle layer), and endocarp (inner layer).

In some fruits, the sepals, petals, stamens or the style of the flower fall away as the fleshy fruit ripens. However, for simple fruits derived from an inferior ovary – i.e., one that lies below the attachment of other floral parts – there are parts (including petals, sepals, and stamens) that fuse with the ovary and ripen with it. For such a case, when floral parts other than the ovary form a significant part of the fruit that develops, it is called an accessory fruit. Examples of accessory fruits include apple, rose hip, strawberry, and pineapple.

Because several parts of the flower besides the ovary may contribute to the structure of a fruit, it is important to understand how a particular fruit forms. There are three general modes of fruit development:

  • Apocarpous fruits develop from a single flower (while having one or more separate, unfused, carpels); they are the simple fruits.
  • Syncarpous fruits develop from a single gynoecium (having two or more carpels fused together).
  • Multiple fruits form from many flowers – i.e., an inflorescence of flowers.
  • The development sequence of a typical drupe, the nectarine (Prunus persica) over a 7.5-month period, from bud formation in early winter to fruit ripening in midsummer The development sequence of a typical drupe, the nectarine (Prunus persica) over a 7.5-month period, from bud formation in early winter to fruit ripening in midsummer
  • The parts of a flower, showing the stigma-style-ovary system. The parts of a flower, showing the stigma-style-ovary system.
  • An apple is a simple, fleshy fruit. Key parts are the epicarp, or exocarp, or outer skin (not labelled); and the mesocarp and endocarp (labelled). An apple is a simple, fleshy fruit. Key parts are the epicarp, or exocarp, or outer skin (not labelled); and the mesocarp and endocarp (labelled).
  • Insertion point: There are three positions of insertion of the ovary at the base of a flower: I superior; II half-inferior; III inferior. The 'insertion point' is where the androecium parts (a), the petals (p), and the sepals (s) all converge and attach to the receptacle (r). (Ovary=gynoecium (g).) Insertion point: There are three positions of insertion of the ovary at the base of a flower: I superior; II half-inferior; III inferior. The 'insertion point' is where the androecium parts (a), the petals (p), and the sepals (s) all converge and attach to the receptacle (r). (Ovary=gynoecium (g).)
  • In the noni, flowers are produced in time-sequence along the stem. It is possible to see a progression of flowering, fruit development, and fruit ripening. In the noni, flowers are produced in time-sequence along the stem. It is possible to see a progression of flowering, fruit development, and fruit ripening.
  • Twin apples. Twin apples.

Classification of fruits

Dewberry flowers. Note the multiple pistils, each of which will produce a drupelet. Each flower will become a blackberry-like aggregate fruit.
Dewberry fruit

Consistent with the three modes of fruit development, plant scientists have classified fruits into three main groups: simple fruits, aggregate fruits, and multiple (or composite) fruits. The groupings reflect how the ovary and other flower organs are arranged and how the fruits develop, but they are not evolutionarily relevant as diverse plant taxa may be in the same group.

While the section of a fungus that produces spores is called a fruiting body, fungi are members of the fungi kingdom and not of the plant kingdom.

Simple fruits

A dry simple fruit: milkweed (Asclepias syriaca); dehiscence of the follicular fruit reveals seeds within.

Simple fruits are the result of the ripening-to-fruit of a simple or compound ovary in a single flower with a single pistil. In contrast, a single flower with numerous pistils typically produces an aggregate fruit; and the merging of several flowers, or a 'multiple' of flowers, results in a 'multiple' fruit. A simple fruit is further classified as either dry or fleshy.

To distribute their seeds, dry fruits may split open and discharge their seeds to the winds, which is called dehiscence. Or the distribution process may rely upon the decay and degradation of the fruit to expose the seeds; or it may rely upon the eating of fruit and excreting of seeds by frugivores – both are called indehiscence. Fleshy fruits do not split open, but they also are indehiscent and they may also rely on frugivores for distribution of their seeds. Typically, the entire outer layer of the ovary wall ripens into a potentially edible pericarp.

Types of dry simple fruits, (with examples) include:

Fruits in which part or all of the pericarp (fruit wall) is fleshy at maturity are termed fleshy simple fruits.

Types of fleshy simple fruits, (with examples) include:

  • Berry – the berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit. The entire outer layer of the ovary wall ripens into a potentially edible "pericarp", (see below).
  • Stone fruit or drupe – the definitive characteristic of a drupe is the hard, "lignified" stone (sometimes called the "pit"). It is derived from the ovary wall of the flower: apricot, cherry, olive, peach, plum, mango.
  • Pome – the pome fruits: apples, pears, rosehips, saskatoon berry, etc., are a syncarpous (fused) fleshy fruit, a simple fruit, developing from a half-inferior ovary. Pomes are of the family Rosaceae.

Berries

Main articles: Berry (botany) and Berry
Fruits of four different banana cultivars (Bananas are berries.)
Strawberry, showing achenes attached to surface. Botanically, strawberries are not berries; they are classified as an aggregate accessory fruit.
Flower of Magnolia × wieseneri showing the many pistils making up the gynoecium in the middle of the flower. The fruit of this flower is an aggregation of follicles.

Berries are a type of simple fleshy fruit that issue from a single ovary. (The ovary itself may be compound, with several carpels.) The botanical term true berry includes grapes, currants, cucumbers, eggplants (aubergines), tomatoes, chili peppers, and bananas, but excludes certain fruits that are called "-berry" by culinary custom or by common usage of the term – such as strawberries and raspberries. Berries may be formed from one or more carpels (i.e., from the simple or compound ovary) from the same, single flower. Seeds typically are embedded in the fleshy interior of the ovary.

Examples include:

  • Tomato – in culinary terms, the tomato is regarded as a vegetable, but it is botanically classified as a fruit and a berry.
  • Banana – the fruit has been described as a "leathery berry". In cultivated varieties, the seeds are diminished nearly to non-existence.
  • Pepo – berries with skin that is hardened: cucurbits, including gourds, squash, melons.
  • Hesperidium – berries with a rind and a juicy interior: most citrus fruit.
  • Cranberry, gooseberry, redcurrant, grape.

The strawberry, regardless of its appearance, is classified as a dry, not a fleshy fruit. Botanically, it is not a berry; it is an aggregate-accessory fruit, the latter term meaning the fleshy part is derived not from the plant's ovaries but from the receptacle that holds the ovaries. Numerous dry achenes are attached to the outside of the fruit-flesh; they appear to be seeds but each is actually an ovary of a flower, with a seed inside.

Schizocarps are dry fruits, though some appear to be fleshy. They originate from syncarpous ovaries but do not actually dehisce; rather, they split into segments with one or more seeds. They include a number of different forms from a wide range of families, including carrot, parsnip, parsley, cumin.

Aggregate fruits

Main article: Aggregate fruit
Detail of the raspberry flower: there is a clustering of pistils at the center of the flower. (A pistil consists of stigma, style, and ovary.) The stigma is the apical (at the apex) nodule that receives pollen; the style is the stem-like column that extends down to the ovary, which is the basal part that contains the seed-forming ovule.
Lilium unripe capsule fruit; an aggregate fruit.

An aggregate fruit is also called an aggregation, or etaerio; it develops from a single flower that presents numerous simple pistils. Each pistil contains one carpel; together, they form a fruitlet. The ultimate (fruiting) development of the aggregation of pistils is called an aggregate fruit, etaerio fruit, or simply an etaerio.

Different types of aggregate fruits can produce different etaerios, such as achenes, drupelets, follicles, and berries.

Some other broadly recognized species and their etaerios (or aggregations) are:

The pistils of the raspberry are called drupelets because each pistil is like a small drupe attached to the receptacle. In some bramble fruits, such as blackberry, the receptacle, an accessory part, elongates and then develops as part of the fruit, making the blackberry an aggregate-accessory fruit. The strawberry is also an aggregate-accessory fruit, of which the seeds are contained in the achenes. Notably in all these examples, the fruit develops from a single flower, with numerous pistils.

Multiple fruits

Main article: Multiple fruit

A multiple fruit is formed from a cluster of flowers, (a 'multiple' of flowers) – also called an inflorescence. Each ('smallish') flower produces a single fruitlet, which, as all develop, all merge into one mass of fruit. Examples include pineapple, fig, mulberry, Osage orange, and breadfruit. An inflorescence (a cluster) of white flowers, called a head, is produced first. After fertilization, each flower in the cluster develops into a drupe; as the drupes expand, they develop as a connate organ, merging into a multiple fleshy fruit called a syncarp.

Progressive stages of multiple flowering and fruit development can be observed on a single branch of the Indian mulberry, or noni. During the sequence of development, a progression of second, third, and more inflorescences are initiated in turn at the head of the branch or stem.

Accessory fruit forms

Main article: Accessory fruit

Fruits may incorporate tissues derived from other floral parts besides the ovary, including the receptacle, hypanthium, petals, or sepals. Accessory fruits occur in all three classes of fruit development – simple, aggregate, and multiple. Accessory fruits are frequently designated by the hyphenated term showing both characters. For example, a pineapple is a multiple-accessory fruit, a blackberry is an aggregate-accessory fruit, and an apple is a simple-accessory fruit.

Table of fleshy fruit examples

Types of fleshy fruits
Type Examples
Simple fleshy fruit True berry, stone fruit, pome
Aggregate fruit Boysenberry, lilium, magnolia, raspberry, pawpaw, blackberry, strawberry
Multiple fruit Fig, osage orange, mulberry, pineapple
True berry Banana, blackcurrant, blueberry, chili pepper, cranberry, eggplant, gooseberry, grape, guava, kiwifruit, lucuma, pomegranate, redcurrant, tomato, watermelon
True berry: Pepo Cucumber, gourd, melon, pumpkin
True berry: Hesperidium Grapefruit, lemon, lime, orange
Accessory fruit Apple, rose hip, stone fruit, pineapple, blackberry, strawberry

Seedless fruits

The fruit of a pineapple includes tissue from the sepals as well as the pistils of many flowers. It is a multiple-accessory fruit.

Seedlessness is an important feature of some fruits of commerce. Commercial cultivars of bananas and pineapples are examples of seedless fruits. Some cultivars of citrus fruits (especially grapefruit, mandarin oranges, navel oranges, satsumas), table grapes, and of watermelons are valued for their seedlessness. In some species, seedlessness is the result of parthenocarpy, where fruits set without fertilization. Parthenocarpic fruit-set may (or may not) require pollination, but most seedless citrus fruits require a stimulus from pollination to produce fruit. Seedless bananas and grapes are triploids, and seedlessness results from the abortion of the embryonic plant that is produced by fertilization, a phenomenon known as stenospermocarpy, which requires normal pollination and fertilization.

Seed dissemination

Variations in fruit structures largely depend on the modes of dispersal applied to their seeds. Dispersal is achieved by wind or water, by explosive dehiscence, and by interactions with animals.

Some fruits present their outer skins or shells coated with spikes or hooked burrs; these evolved either to deter would-be foragers from feeding on them or to serve to attach themselves to the hair, feathers, legs, or clothing of animals, thereby using them as dispersal agents. These plants are termed zoochorous; common examples include cocklebur, unicorn plant, and beggarticks (or Spanish needle).

By developments of mutual evolution, the fleshy produce of fruits typically appeals to hungry animals, such that the seeds contained within are taken in, carried away, and later deposited (i.e., defecated) at a distance from the parent plant. Likewise, the nutritious, oily kernels of nuts typically motivate birds and squirrels to hoard them, burying them in soil to retrieve later during the winter of scarcity; thereby, uneaten seeds are sown effectively under natural conditions to germinate and grow a new plant some distance away from the parent.

Other fruits have evolved flattened and elongated wings or helicopter-like blades, e.g., elm, maple, and tuliptree. This mechanism increases dispersal distance away from the parent via wind. Other wind-dispersed fruit have tiny "parachutes", e.g., dandelion, milkweed, salsify.

Coconut fruits can float thousands of miles in the ocean, thereby spreading their seeds. Other fruits that can disperse via water are nipa palm and screw pine.

Some fruits have evolved propulsive mechanisms that fling seeds substantial distances – perhaps up to 100 m (330 ft) in the case of the sandbox tree – via explosive dehiscence or other such mechanisms (see impatiens and squirting cucumber).

Food uses

A selection of fruit for sale in a market in France
Picking blackberries in Oklahoma

A cornucopia of fruits – fleshy (simple) fruits from apples to berries to watermelon; dry (simple) fruits including beans and rice and coconuts; aggregate fruits including strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, pawpaw; and multiple fruits such as pineapple, fig, mulberries – are commercially valuable as human food. They are eaten both fresh and as jams, marmalade and other fruit preserves. They are used extensively in manufactured and processed foods (cakes, cookies, baked goods, flavorings, ice cream, yogurt, canned vegetables, frozen vegetables and meals) and beverages such as fruit juices and alcoholic beverages (brandy, fruit beer, wine). Spices like vanilla, black pepper, paprika, and allspice are derived from berries. Olive fruit is pressed for olive oil and similar processing is applied to other oil-bearing fruits and vegetables. Some fruits are available all year round, while others (such as blackberries and apricots in the UK) are subject to seasonal availability.

Fruits are also used for socializing and gift-giving in the form of fruit baskets and fruit bouquets.

Typically, many botanical fruits – "vegetables" in culinary parlance – (including tomato, green beans, leaf greens, bell pepper, cucumber, eggplant, okra, pumpkin, squash, zucchini) are bought and sold daily in fresh produce markets and greengroceries and carried back to kitchens, at home or restaurant, for preparation of meals.

Storage

All fruits benefit from proper post-harvest care, and in many fruits, the plant hormone ethylene causes ripening. Therefore, maintaining most fruits in an efficient cold chain is optimal for post-harvest storage, with the aim of extending and ensuring shelf life.

Nutritional value

Comparing fresh fruits for fiber, potassium (K), and vitamin C. Each disk-point refers to a 100 g (3.5 oz) serving of the fresh fruit named. The size of the disk represents the amount of fiber (as percentage of the recommended daily allowance, RDA) in a serving of fruit (see key at upper right). The amount of vitamin C (as percent RDA) is plotted on the x–axis and the amount of potassium (K), in mg on the y–axis. Bananas are high in value for fiber and potassium, and oranges for fiber and vitamin C. (Apricots are highest in potassium; strawberries are rich in vitamin C.) Watermelon, providing low levels of both K and vitamin C and almost no fiber, is of least value for the three nutrients together.

Various culinary fruits provide significant amounts of fiber and water, and many are generally high in vitamin C. An overview of numerous studies showed that fruits (e.g., whole apples or whole oranges) are satisfying (filling) by simply eating and chewing them.

The dietary fiber consumed in eating fruit promotes satiety, and may help to control body weight and aid reduction of blood cholesterol, a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Fruit consumption is under preliminary research for the potential to improve nutrition and affect chronic diseases. Regular consumption of fruit is generally associated with reduced risks of several diseases and functional declines associated with aging.

Food safety

For food safety, the CDC recommends proper fruit handling and preparation to reduce the risk of food contamination and foodborne illness. Fresh fruits and vegetables should be carefully selected; at the store, they should not be damaged or bruised; and precut pieces should be refrigerated or surrounded by ice.

All fruits and vegetables should be rinsed before eating. This recommendation also applies to produce with rinds or skins that are not eaten. It should be done just before preparing or eating to avoid premature spoilage.

Fruits and vegetables should be kept separate from raw foods like meat, poultry, and seafood, as well as from utensils that have come in contact with raw foods. Fruits and vegetables that are not going to be cooked should be thrown away if they have touched raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs.

All cut, peeled, or cooked fruits and vegetables should be refrigerated within two hours. After a certain time, harmful bacteria may grow on them and increase the risk of foodborne illness.

Allergies

Fruit allergies make up about 10 percent of all food-related allergies.

Nonfood uses

Porcelain vine is usually planted for its showy, colourful berries.

Because fruits have been such a major part of the human diet, various cultures have developed many different uses for fruits they do not depend on for food. For example:

See also

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Further reading

  • Gollner, Adam J. (2010). The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Adventure, Commerce, and Obsession. Scribner. ISBN 978-0-7432-9695-3.
  • Watson, R. R., and Preedy, V.R. (2010, eds.). Bioactive Foods in Promoting Health: Fruits and Vegetables. Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-12-374628-3.

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