Horticulture Principles and Practices

FIGURE 2–11 A berry, represented by tomato
(Lycopersicon esculentum): (Source: Dave King © Dorling
Kindersley)
FIGURE 2–12 A hesperidium, represented
by citrus (Citrus spp.). (Source: USDA)
FIGURE 2–13 A pepo, represented
by muskmelon. (Source: USDA)
characteristic of one subfamily of the family Rosaceae (rose family).
Examples of pomes are apple (Pyrus malus), pear (Pyrus communis), and
quince (Cydonia oblonga).
2. Dry fruits. Dry fruits are not juicy or succulent when mature and ripe. When dry,
they may split open and discharge their seeds (called dehiscent fruits) or retain
their seeds (called indehiscent fruits).
a. Dehiscent fruits. A fruit developed from a single carpel may split from only
one side at maturity to discharge its seeds. Such a fruit is called a follicle.
Examples are columbine (Aquilegia spp.), milkweed (Asclepias spp.),
larkspur (Delphinium spp.), and magnolia (Magnolia spp.). Sometimes, the
splitting of the ovary occurs along two seams, with seeds borne on only one
of the halves of the split ovary. Such a fruit is called a legume (Figure 2–15),
examples being pea (Pisum sativum), bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), and peanut
(Arachis hypogaea). In a third type of dehiscent fruit, called silique or
silicle, seeds are attached to a central structure, as occurs in radish (Raphanus
sativus) and mustard (Brassica campestris) (Figure 2–16). The most common
dehiscent simple fruit is the capsule, which develops from a compound ovary.
In some species, seeds are discharged when the capsule splits longitudinally.
48 Chapter 2 Classifying and Naming Horticultural Plants