COMPOUND FRUITS

A compound fruit is one that develops from several ovaries in either a single flower or multiple flowers.Conversely,a simple fruit actually develops from one ovary.

Compound fruits could be aggregate fruits; in which one of the flowers contains several ovaries which each develop into a small fruit. These small fruits are joined tightly together to make a larger fruit. A good example of this is a raspberry. Each fleshy lobe in a raspberry is actually an individual fruit, but they are joined at their bases.

Compound fruits could also be multiple fruits, in which of several flowers, each with an ovary, develop into small fruits which are clustered or fused together into a larger fruit. A good example of this is a pineapple. Each section of a pineapple is an individual fruit from the individual flower, but they have fused to form the pineapple. Grapes grow in clusters, but they are not compound fruits. Each grape grew from one ovary in one flower, and each grape remains an independent fruit.

Aggregate Fruits

An Aggregate Fruit is otherwise called as etgerio, develops from a flower with the numerous simple pistils. A good example is raspberry, whose simple fruits are termed drupelets because each is like a good small drupe attached to receptacle. In some of the bramble fruits (example blackberry) the receptacle is elongate and part of the ripe fruits, for making blackberry an aggregate-accessory fruit.

Multiple Fruits

A multiple fruit is formed from a cluster of flowers called an inflorescence. Each flower does produce a fruit, but these mature into a single mass. Examples are mulberry, pineapple, and breadfruit.

Accessory Fruits

An accessory fruits are composed of material not just form the ovary but also participate to form other parts of the flower such as the receptacle. To understand even better an accessory fruit is a fruit where the fleshy part is derived not form the ovary but form some adjacent tissue.

Few very good examples of accessory fruits are strawberry, watermelon, apple etc. Most accessory fruits are simple fruits that are developed from inferior ovaries.