Fruit

Fruit, ripe ovary of a flowering plant containing the seed or seeds. The fruit begins to develop after fertilization; its main functions are to protect the developing seeds and to help to scatter them when they are ripe. The majority of fruits are formed only from the carpel or carpels of the flower; they are known as true fruits. Some fruits include other parts of the flower, especially the receptacle; these are called false, or accessory, fruits. True fruits include dry fruits and juicy fruits. The dry fruits include those that split open and release their seeds (dehiscent) and those that do not split open (indehiscent). Juicy fruits also fall into 2 main groups. The drupes are the stone fruits: The inner layer, which is hard and woody, is the stone; the single seed is inside it. Berries are juicy fruits with many seeds in them, but without stones around the seeds.