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What are dry fruits?
Dry fruits are those fruits showing a hard texture. They bear a wood-like leathery appearance and when we press on them we feel they are not soft.
Types of dry fruits
The dry fruits can be classified:
Indehiscent dry fruits
They are those fruits that do not open when becoming ripe, leaving their seeds inside them. We have several types of this kind of fruits but the most important are the following:
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- Achenes are fruits with a solitary seed, not attached to the carpel. Sometimes achenes appear joined together in what it is known as poly-achenes.
- Nuts are fruits with a stiffened pericarp, covered with a cupule at the base. (See image of a nut: Kermes oak – Quercus coccifera)
- Caryopsis are fruits with the seed stuck to the pericarp.
- Samaras are winged achenes.
Dehiscent dry fruits
They are fruits that open when they grow up and let their seeds go away.
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- Follicles are fruits with a single carpel. Being ripe, they open one side.
- Pods derive from a single carpel, too. Differently to follicles, they open both sides.
- Siliques come from joined carpels than open when grow up.
- Capsules are fruits derived from compound ovaries. They have many openings.
- Pyxidiums are capsules which open transversely.
You can do the following activity:
| Activity 14: The fruits (Discover which fruit is) | Activity 15: The fruits (Discover which fruit is) |
Go back to Type of FruitsGo back to main page “The fruits”
More information about plants cultivation. This article was endorsed by Vicente Martínez Centelles - Founder of the web and director. Teacher of natural sciences, expert in plants, natural remedies and botanical photography.
