Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

226

Plum druPe

drupes are juicy, succulent true fruits

like berries. unlike berries, however,

drupes do not have pips. Instead, they

have a hard stone that contains the

seed. Plums, cherries, and apricots

are all drupes. A blackberry is a

collection of drupes.

PeA legume

legumes are dry, non-

juicy fruits. Their seeds

are contained in a long

outer casing called a pod.

Pods are found on pea and

bean plants, as well as

sweet peas and laburnums.

We eat the fruits of pea

and bean plants.

Sunflower

The sunflower grows about 8 ft

(2.5 m) high. After fertilization,

the large flower ripens to form a

plate-sized seed head. Sunflower

seeds contain large amounts of

Brazil nut (seed) vitamins and edible oil.

that we eat

Brazil “nuts” are

the seeds of a

South American

tree. The seeds

grow in melon-

sized fruit

pods.

Plum

APPle

The apple’s flesh, which is what we eat,

grows from the receptacle of the flower, so it

is a false fruit. The apple core is formed from

the ovary, and the pips inside are

the seeds. Pears, quinces, and

hawthorn berries are formed

in the same way; they are

also known as pomes.

Sunflower

seeds are used

in margarine,

animal food,

and as a snack.

NuT

A nut is a dry, hard-cased fruit, such

as an acorn or hazelnut, with only one

seed inside. most hard, woody fruits or

seeds are called nuts, but the fruit of

the walnut is actually a drupe, and the

Brazil nut is really a seed.

All FlOWerINg PlANTS, from tiny weeds to mighty oaks,

develop from seeds. each seed contains an embryo (a young

plant) plus a store of food for the embryo’s growth. A

fruit is the seed container; it protects the developing

seeds until they are dispersed by animals, the wind,

water, or the plant itself. Fruits include lemons,

melons, cherries, and tomatoes. The hard little

stones, or pips, inside are the seeds. many fruits,

such as oranges and blackcurrants, are an important

source of food. They contain large amounts of vitamin

C, necessary for good health. People have cultivated

fruits for centuries; today, fruit growers produce millions

of tons of fruit every year. Strangely enough, some foods

that we call vegetables, such as cucumber, are in fact fruits,

bursting with tiny seeds. So, too, are spices such as whole

chiles and peppercorns. Yet rhubarb, which is often cooked

as a fruit, is really the pink stem of a leaf.

POPPY CAPSule

Capsules are hard, dry fruits

found on poppies, violets,

snapdragons, and the

horse chestnut tree.

The poppy capsule is

like a saltshaker. The tiny

seeds fall through holes at

the top when the wind blows.

There are more than

1,000 varieties of

cultivated apples.

Core

grAPe

Berries are juicy, succulent

true fruits with pips

inside. They include

grapevine berries,

which we call grapes.

About 5,000 kinds of

grapes are used to make wine, or

are dried into currants and raisins for

cakes and cookies. Other berries include

gooseberries, tomatoes, and bananas.

Citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons,

and grapefruits, are also berries.

Fruits and seeds 226-

Fruits have different names, depending

on which part of the flower develops

into the main part of the fruit.

Fruits are usually described as

either true or false fruits. A true

fruit develops from the female

parts of the flower. A false fruit

is one that includes some other

part of the flower, such as the

receptacle, or flower base. The bright

red fruits of the mountain

ash (rowan) develop from

clusters of white flowers.

Seed

head Seeds

Seed

cases

Outer shell of

Brazil nut

Walnut

“nut”

is the

seed.

Pea

Pea

pod

Cherry

Seeds

(pips)

Walnut fruit

(drupe)

Hard

casing

Runner

bean pod

Fruits and seeds

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