KEY to FRUIT TYPES
1a. Fruit derived from several ovaries of one or more flowers
2a.
Fruit arising from the several ovaries of as many flowers (examples:
pineapple, mulberry)
MULTIPLE FRUIT
2b.
Fruit arising from the coalescence of several ripened ovaries of one
flower (example: raspberry, blackberry)
AGGREGATE FRUIT
1b. Fruit derived from a single ovary (simple or compound)
3a. Fruit fleshy or juicy when ripe
4a. Ovary wall of fruit (or pericarp) entirely or in part fleshy
5a. Fruit indehiscent
6a. Ovary wall entirely fleshy (examples: tomato, cranberry,
grape, currant, banana, melon [pepo], and citrus fruit
[hesperidium])
BERRY
6b.
Ovary wall of three distinct layers, the inner one bony
(endocarp), the middle fleshy (mesocarp), and the outer
"skin- like" (exocarp) (examples: peach, plum, cherry)
DRUPE
5b. Fruit dehiscent
7a. Fruit derived from one carpel
FOLLICLE
7b. Fruit derived from a compound gynoecium
CAPSULE
4b. Ovary wall (e.g., the outer layer of an apple 'core') of fruit papery,
surrounded by a fleshy material that represents the coalescent parts of
the stamens, petals, sepals, and (some believe) receptacle (examples:
apple, pear, quince)
POME
3b. Fruit typically dry and usually hardened when ripe
8a. Fruit indehiscent (does not open or dehisce when mature), generally with
one seed
9a. Ovary wall of varying thickness, usually not bony
10a.
Fruit not winged (examples: buttercup, 'seeds' of
strawberry, sunflower family, sedges, grasses [ovary
wall adherent to and surrounding seed, may be called
caryopsis or grain])
ACHENE
10b.
Fruit winged (examples: elm, tulip tree)
SAMARA
9b.
Ovary wall hardened and bony
11a.
Fruit usually > 5mm long (examples: oak, chestnut,
hazelnut)
NUT
11b.
Fruit small, usually < 5mm long (examples: borage and
mint families [Boraginaceae and Lamiaceae]
NUTLET
8b. Fruit dehiscent (opens or dehisces when mature, usually along certain
definite lines or sutures), with one or more seeds
12a.
13a.
Fruit derived from a single carpel
Fruit dehiscing along one side (examples: columbine, larkspur,
magnolia, milkweed)
FOLLICLE
13b. Fruit dehiscing along two sides or breaking crosswise into oneseeded segments
14a.
Fruit dehiscing along two sides
(example: only the legume
family [Fabaceae or Leguminosae])
LEGUME
14b. Fruit breaking into one-seeded segments (example:
only the legume family [Fabaceae or Leguminosae])
LOMENT
12b.
Fruit derived from a compound gynoecium of two or more carpels
(types of capsules)
15a.
Fruit always 2-carpellate, two-celled, and with parietal
placentation
16a.
Fruit > 2-3 times longer than wide (example: only the
mustard family [Brassicaceae or Cruciferae])
SILIQUE
16b.
Fruit <2-3 times longer than wide (example: only the mustard family
[Brassicaceae or Cruciferae])
SILICLE
15b.
Fruit 2 or more carpellate, one or more celled, and with
various types of placentation.
CAPSULE
17a.
Fruit dehiscing by pores (poricidal dehiscence; example: poppy)
PORICIDAL
CAPSULE
17b.
Fruit dehiscing along the septa or into the locules or by a lid.
18a.
Fruit dehiscing by a lid (examples: Portulacaceae and some
Caryophyllaceae)
CIRCUMSCISSILE
CAPSULE
18b.
Fruit dehiscing directly into the locules or along the septa.
19a.
Fruit dehiscing directly into the locules (examples: iris, phlox,
pyrola, violet, waterleaf)
LOCULICIDAL
CAPSULE
19b.
Fruit dehiscing along the septa
20a.
Fruit dehiscing to form 1-seeded segments called
mericarps (examples: carrot, maple, spurge)
SCHIZOCARPOUS
CAPSULE or
SCHIZOCARP
20b.
Fruit dehiscing to form several-seeded segments
(examples: peppers, figwort, rhododendron))
SEPTICIDAL
CAPSULE