The distinction between fruit and vegetables is one of those conventions so rooted in our everyday life that it appears almost banal. But the scientific classification reveals a much more complex reality: not everything we call “fruit” isin a botanical sense.
According to science, a true fruit is exclusively the product of the transformation of the flower’s ovary following fertilization. If other parts of the floral structure – such as the receptacle, the petals or the sepals – participate in the formation of the pulp and are enriched with nutrients, we are faced with a “false fruit” or pseudocarp. This is a refined evolutionary strategy: the plant involves the entire architecture of the flower to protect the seeds and attract dispersing animals
The most famous “false fruits”.
The most famous group of “false fruits” belongs to the family of Rosaceaein particular to the subfamily of Maloideae. The most emblematic case is the pommel, a typical structure of mela (Malus domestica) and of pera (Pyrus communis). From a botanical point of view, the true fruit is limited to the cartilaginous core that encloses the seeds, which derives directly from the carpels of the ovary. The crunchy and juicy pulp that we consume is, in reality, the floral receptacle (hypanthium) that has grown by enveloping the lower ovary. This biological mechanism also applies to nashi (Pyrus pyrifolia), to quince (Quince oblong) and others various wild species like the azzeroolo (Crataegus azarolus) and the black pear (Amelanchier ovalis), whose little “fruits” are technically tiny apples.
The strawberry (Fragaria x pineapple) deserves a separate discussion. Often mistakenly referred to as a single fruit, it is actually a aggregate fruit of the conocarp type: the “real fruits” of the strawberry are the tiny yellow dots distributed on the surface (achenes), each of which contains a single seed, while the red and sugary part that many are fond of is the receptacle of the flower which, after fertilization, swells and expands outwards to expose the achenes.
Other species that can “deceive”
Moving on to more exotic species, the botanical terminology becomes even more specific. THE’pineapple (Ananas comosus)for example, is not a simple fruit and its pulp does not derive from pistils, as is often believed. This is a called infructescence sorosiooriginating from the fusion of over one hundred flowers arranged in a spiral on a central axis. The yellow pulp we eat is formed by the coalescence of ovaries, sepals and bracts (modified leaves), which become fleshy and join together firmly. The same applies to mulberry trees (White mulberry e Black mulberry).
And then there is the case of fico (fig tree). What we commonly call a fruit is actually a syconium, which is a fleshy, hollow pear-shaped inflorescence. The real fruits are the numerous achenes (the crunchy grains, so to speak) that develop inside the cavity. The fig is one of the greatest examples of coevolutionsince its maturation is linked to a complex symbiosis with tiny pollinating wasps that access the structure via an apical opening called an ostiole.
The pomegranate (Pink garnet) is another fascinating case of “false fruit”. Botanically it is a “balusta”, that is, a complex berry divided internally by membranes, where the edible part is not pulp derived from the ovary or the receptacle: the red grains (arils) are the fleshy and juicy covering of the seeds themselves.
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