Question
Classify fruits into simple, aggregate, and composite types with examples of each.
Solution — Step by Step
flowchart TD
A[Fruits] --> B[Simple Fruits - from single ovary]
A --> C[Aggregate Fruits - from multiple free carpels]
A --> D[Composite Fruits - from entire inflorescence]
B --> B1[Fleshy: Mango, Tomato, Orange]
B --> B2[Dry: Mustard, Pea, Sunflower]
C --> C1[Raspberry, Strawberry, Lotus]
D --> D1[Sorosis: Pineapple, Jackfruit]
D --> D2[Syconus: Fig]Develop from a single ovary of a single flower. They can be fleshy (pericarp is soft): drupe (mango, coconut), berry (tomato, grape), hesperidium (orange), pome (apple). Or dry (pericarp is dry): legume (pea), siliqua (mustard), caryopsis (wheat), cypsela (sunflower), nut (cashew). Most fruits we see are simple fruits.
Develop from a single flower that has multiple free carpels (apocarpous ovary). Each carpel forms a small fruitlet, and all fruitlets cluster together. Examples: Raspberry (etaerio of drupes), strawberry (etaerio of achenes — the fleshy part is the thalamus), lotus (etaerio of nuts).
Develop from an entire inflorescence (cluster of flowers), not a single flower. Two types: Sorosis — develops from a spike or spadix inflorescence. The fleshy axis bears fruits from many flowers fused together. Examples: pineapple, jackfruit, mulberry. Syconus — develops from a hollow, flask-shaped receptacle (hypanthodium inflorescence). Example: fig (Ficus).
Why This Works
The classification is based on how many ovaries and how many flowers contribute to the fruit. One ovary = simple. Multiple free carpels in one flower = aggregate. Entire inflorescence = composite. This logic makes identification straightforward.
Common Mistake
Students classify strawberry as a simple fruit. It is actually an aggregate fruit (etaerio of achenes). The red fleshy part is the swollen thalamus (receptacle), not the ovary wall. The tiny “seeds” on the surface are actually the true fruits (achenes). Similarly, apple is a false fruit — the fleshy part is the thalamus, not the ovary. The true fruit is the core.