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This is the most common type
of simple
fruit in which the entire
ovary
wall ripens into a
fleshy
pericarp within a
thin covering; it is always formed from a
superior
ovary and
derives from either a single or
compound (syncarpous)
pistil ( e.g.,
tomato, grape,) the pulp may be more or less homogeneous, or the outer part of the
fruit may be
firm, hard, or leathery. A plant that bears berries is referred to
as bacciferous. Berries are usually
dispersed by
animals that eat them. The seeds pass through their bodies and are
excreted.
In plant species with an
inferior
ovary, the floral tube (hypanthium)
including the basal parts of the
sepals,
petals, and
stamens) can
ripen along with
the ovary,
creating an
accessory fruit called a
false berry. (For example banana,
cucumber, blueberry and the
fruits of
cacti like the
prickly
pears) |
