1.

Simple Fruits
a. Simple Fleshy
i. The Berries
ii. The Hesperidium
iii. The Pepo
iv. The Drupe
v. The Pome
b. Simple Dry Dehiscent
i. The Legume
ii. The Capsule
iii. The Follicle
c. Simple Dry Indehiscent
i. The Achene
ii. The Grain
iii. The Samara
iv. The Nut
2. Aggregate Fruits
3. Multiple Fruits

I. The Simple Fruits (page 2)

A simple fruit always develops from a single ovary containing one or more carpels
and may or may not include additional modified accessory floral (perianth)
structures. In addition, a simple fruit is either fleshy or dry. Fleshy fruits are often
edible and are seen in the fresh fruit and vegetable section of your local super
market. Fleshy fruits include the berry, drupe, pome, pepo, and hesperidium.
A. Simple Fleshy Fruits

1. The Berry

Grapes and tomatoes are classified as berries because the ovary wall of the carpel
becomes almost completely fleshy at maturity. The number of carpels in each species
varies from one to several and their skins can be thin and tender or thin and tough. The
number of seeds also varies from one per carpel to many per carpel. The seeds of all
berries, are embedded in the fleshy tissue of the carpel.
2. The Hesperidium

Hesperidium type fruits are always covered with a leathery rind and the partitions
separating their carpels are tough and fibrous. The orange, lemon and grapefruit, all
members of the citrus family, are good examples of the hespiridium type of fruit.
 3. The Pepo

The pepo is covered by a rind that is hard and thick. The cucumber, pumpkin and
watermelon are good examples of the pepo type of fruit. Below the rind, the the rest of the
ovary wall is soft and fleshy. In the photographs above seeds fill the locule of each carpel.
4. The Drupe
If a fruit is fleshy and it has a hard stony pit containing a seed it is classified as a drupe.
Drupes are covered by a thin skin derived from the outer tissue layer of the ovary. The soft
fleshy tissue below the skin is derived from the middle layer of the ovary and the hard
stony pit is derived from the inner tissue layer of the ovary. Cracking the pit open reveals a
single seed formed from an ovule contained within the ovary of the flower. Coconuts have
fibrous walls instead of the fleshy walls found in most drupes.

5. The Pome

The pome consists of tissue derived from the ovary and from the perianth. For this reason
it is often called an accessory fruit. In the example (apple) the core is composed of
modified tissue from the ovary wall while the pulp is composed of tissue from the base of
the floral tube and receptacle. The seeds were once, early in development, ovules
containing fertilized eggs and endosperm. The pear is another pome type of fruit.
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I. The Simple Fruits (page 3)
A fruit, classified as simple, always develops from a single ovary containing one
or more carpels and may or may not include additional modified accessory floral
structures. Simple fruits are either fleshy or dry. Dry fruits are classified as
either dehiscent or indehiscent. Dry dehiscent fruits crack open along two seams
and shed their seeds into the environment when the fruit is ripe. We will examine
three common kinds of dry fruit.

B. Simple Dry Dehiscent Fruits

1. The Legume
The legume splits along two lines of dehiscence following maturation and drying. The
legume type fruit is derived from a simple ovary (one carpel) with two rows of ovules.
This type of fruit structure is characteristic of peas, beans and peanuts. The peanut is one
of the few legumes that does not split open when ripe. This is probably because the fruit
of the peanut develops in the soil rather than in the air.

2. The Capsule
 The capsule is another type of dry dehiscent fruit. Unlike the legume, the capsule is
composed of more than one carpel. Fruits like the lily split length-wise into sections
corresponding to the number of carpels. The Sweet Gum fruit, being a cluster of capsules,
releases winged seeds as each ovary cracks open at maturity.

3. The Follicle
 Columbine and milkweed plants produce fruit that is known as a follicle. Fruit of the
Follicle type develop from a single ripened ovary and split once to release their seeds. The
split is always lengthwise, along one edge of the carpel. Legumes you remember split
along two edges of the carpel. Follicles may occur singly (milkweed) or in clusters
(columbine). When the fruit opens it resembles a dry leaf and reminds us that carpels are
modified leaves that first produce spores, then gametes and finally seeds.
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The Simple Fruits (page 4)
Dry indehiscent fruits retain their seeds and do not crack open after ripening. We
will examine four different types.
C. Simple Dry Indehiscent Fruit
1. The Achene

The achene consists of a single seed that is attached to the wall of the ovary at only one point.
The wall of the mature ovary is also thin and undeveloped so when it dries out the fruit
formed has a seed-like appearance. Examples of achenes include sunflowers, dandelions and
buckwheat. Don't be confused to learn that the sunflower "seed" is actually a fruit. Remove
the dried up wall of the fruit and the sunflower seed is found underneath.
2. The Grain

If the wall of the dry indehiscent fruit is thin, transparent and firmly attached to all points
of the seed coat the fruit is a grain. Grain type fruits are produced by members of the grass
family which include important food crops such as rice, corn and wheat.

3. The Samara
 The Samara is a wind borne fruit containing a single seed. It is much like an achene
except for the paper-like wing which develops from the ovary wall of the flower. Winged
Samara fruits are characteristic of elms, maples and ashes.

4. The Nut
Except for its larger size, the nut is very similar in structure to the achene. In nuts such as
the acorn and chestnut the shell is the coat of the fruit. It, the coat, develops from the ovary
wall after fertilization. Some nuts have a husk covering the hard shell. In this case the husk
is formed from the outer layer of the ovary wall and the hard coat of the nut is formed
from the inner layer of the ovary wall. Walnuts and pecans are examples of the later type
of maturation.
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II. The Aggregate Fruits (page 5)

Aggregate Fruit Examples

An aggregate fruit results from the joining together of several ovaries of the same flower.
This process starts with a flower that contains several carpels with an equal number of
ovaries. Each ovary contains a single ovule that develops into a seed following
fertilization. As the ovaries develop and increase in size they become attached together.
Aggregate fruits are also either true, without accessory parts, or accessory, with
additional floral parts. The raspberry is an aggregate of true fruits. Each fruit in the
aggregate is a drupe containing a stony pit. The strawberry is an accessory aggregate
fruit. The many ovaries of the strawberry flower develop into achenes which become
embedded on the surface of the enlarged flower receptacle.
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III. The Multiple Fruits (page 6)
Multiple Fruit Examples

All of the fruit types we have studied so far arise from a single flower. Multiple fruits,
unlike the others, develop from a cluster of flowers. Individual fruits of the multiple cluster
develop from one ovary and some accessory parts of the flower. The pineapple is a good
example of a multiple fruit. It is cluster of mature ovaries each with accessory parts
including the receptacle and portions of the sepals and bracts. The fruit's surface tissue you
see in the photograph covers the ovary. This tissue arises from three overlapping sepals and
the tip of a bract. Green bracts stick out of the top of the whole pineapple. Flowers were not
borne in the axils of these bracts. Seeds are usually absent from commercially grown
plants.
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Source

http://science.jburroughs.org/resources/flower/seedsfruit.html