FRUITS AND SEEDS 



109 



inside stony part or core. Owing to the great variation in the 

 character of fruits on different species of plants, it is very diifi- 

 cnlt to malte a scientific classification. But fo^r the convemence 

 of study they can be classified as follows : 



f Simple 

 fDrupe (Stone fruits) ] Aggregate 



Fruit 



Fleshy 



Dry 



I Accessory 

 I Pome 

 [Berry 



Dehiscent 



Indehiscent 



[ Multiple 



Pod or Capsule 



Follicle 



Legume 



Silique 



Pyxidium or Pyxis 



fAchene or Akene 



I Caryopsis 



1 Samara or Key 



Nut 



The simple drupe or stone fruit has th.e seed surrounded by 

 a hard stony structure (endocarp), which is in turn surrounded 

 by the fleshy part (mesocarp'), which is in turn surrounded by 

 the epidermal covering (exocarp). The peach, plum and cherry- 

 are typical examples of svmple drupes (Fig. 79, a). Each fruit 

 is derived from a single or simple ovary of an individual flower. 

 The other types of drupes are modifications of the simple drupe, 

 and the differences are superficial rather than real. They are : 

 (a) the' aggregate drupaceous fruity which consists of a number 

 of ripened, fleshy ovaries, all of which are derived from a single 

 flower. These individual, mature ovaries are usually clustered 

 on a torus, but are not otherwise different from the simple drupe. 

 The blackberry and raspberry are good illustrations of this fruit 

 (Fig. 79, b). (h) The midtiple fruit also consists of a number 

 of mature, small and compact ovaries, but each ovary is derived 

 from a single flower (Fig. 79, e). This type of fruit is well 

 illustrated by the mulberry. 



