Fruit Types
Compound fruit types
Aggregate
Schizocarp
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Accessory
Multiple
Syconium
Hip
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Fruit Types
Aggregate fruits
Aggregate fruits are formed from single flowers with many separate carpels.
Raspberry with fruit
removed to show the
elongated receptacle.
Raspberry
Blackberry
Raspberry and blackberry (Rubus) are aggregates of druplets attached
to a central elongated receptacle.
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Fruit Types
Aggregate fruits
Lotus produces a distinctive aggregate fruit with individual nut-like fruits
imbedded in a flat receptacle.
Lotus (Nelumbo)
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Aggregate fruits
Tuliptree produces an aggregate of samaras.
Tuliptree (Liriodendron)
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Fruit Types
Aggregate fruits
Magnolia fruit is an aggregate of follicles attached to an elongated receptacle.
Each follicle contains a seed surrounded by a fleshy aril.
Developing fruit cut to show
fruits on receptacle.
Receptacle
Flower
Magnolia (Magnolia)
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Fruit Types
Accessory fruits
In accessory fruits, the receptacle forms the fleshy edible portion. The botanical
fruits are achenes, which are produced on the surface of the receptacle.
Achene
Receptacle
Achene
Strawberry (Fragaria)
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A section through Indian strawberry (Duchesnea)
showing achene attachment to the fleshy receptacle.
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Fruit Types
Multiple fruits
Multiple fruits develop from several flowers where the carpels stay together to
resemble a single fruit. In Osage orange, the individual fruits are achenes
completely enclosed in receptacle and sepal (calyx) tissue.
Achene
Osage orange (Maclura)
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Fruit Types
Multiple fruits
Mulberry produces a cluster of fruits each enclosing an achene. Notice the
persistent style (arrow) protruding from each fruit. The fleshy part of each fruit
is swollen sepal (calyx) tissue.
Mulberry (Morus)
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Fruit Types
Schizocarps
A schizocarp is a fruit that develops from a compound ovary where the carpels
break apart into separate single-seeded, achene-like, fruit units called mericarps.
Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus)
The simplest schizocarps have two mericarps.
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Schizocarps
Maple is a simple schizocarp composed of paired samaras that separate for wind
dissemination.
Maple (Acer)
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Schizocarps
Sycamore is a more complex schizocarp with hundreds of mericarps (achenes)
united in a ball-like fruit.
Three united mericarps
Sycamore (Platanus)
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Schizocarps
Hollyhock fruit is composed of many mericarps surrounding a central axis. When
the fruit dries, each mericarp separates as a single seed unit.
Schizocarp
Mericarps
Developing schizocarp
Hollyhock (Althea)
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Syconium
Figs produce syconium fruits. In a syconium, the entire inflorescence ripens into a
hollow fruit with the seeds attached to an inverted receptacle.
Seeds
Receptacle
Fig (Ficus)
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Fruit Types
Hip
Hips are the fruits in rose. Hips are produced from an enlarged hypanthium that
grows to surround the numerous achenes.
Achene
Hypanthium
Progression of flower to fruit development in rose (Rosa ).
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