Simple fruit

Definition

A simple fruit develops from a single ovary of a single flower. Examples include berries, drupes, and pomes.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Simple fruits can be either fleshy or dry.
2. They arise from a single carpel or from multiple fused carpels.
3. Examples of fleshy simple fruits include tomatoes and cherries.
4. Dry simple fruits can be dehiscent (splitting open) or indehiscent (not splitting open).
5. Simple fruits play a role in seed dispersal mechanisms.

Review Questions

• What is the main characteristic that differentiates a simple fruit from other types of fruits?
• Name two examples of fleshy simple fruits.
• How do simple dry fruits disperse their seeds?

Related terms

compound fruit: A fruit that develops from multiple ovaries of one flower or multiple flowers.

aggregate fruit:

A type of fruit that forms from multiple ovaries of one flower, such as strawberries.

multiple fruit: A fruit formed from the ovaries of multiple flowers growing in a cluster, like pineapples.