Morphology of Flowering Plants 93
It is of following types
Ovary wall
Placenta
Locule Ovule
Septum Locule
Ovules
Superficial Marginal
Locule Ovary wall
Locule
Ovule
Placenta
Basal Placenta Parietal
Ovule
Free central Axile
Ovary wall
Ovule
Locule
Ovule Central axis
Placenta
Placenta Locule
Ovary wall
Central axis
Types of placentations in flowering plants
Fruit
After fertilisation of ovary, ovule is changed into seed and ovary into
fruit. The fruit is a characteristic feature of the flowering plants.
A true fruit is a ripened ovary. At this stage, the perianth and stamens
fall off, the gynoecium is rearranged and ovary becomes extended.
Generally the fruit consists of a wall or pericarp and seeds.
Sometimes this pericarp is differentiated into three layers
1. Outer – Epicarp 2. Middle – Mesocarp 3. Inner – Endocarp
On the basis of their development, the fruits are of two types
1. True Fruits These fruits develop from the ovary of flower, e.g.,
mango, orange, etc.
2. False Fruits The floral parts other than ovary develop into
fruit, e.g., apple and pears, etc.
94 Handbook of Biology
A general classification of true fruits can be seen in following flow chart
True Fruits
Simple Fruit Aggregate Fruit Composite Fruits
(etaerio) (multiple)
Succulent Etaerio of follicles Sorosis
Dry
(or fleshy)
Etaerio of achenes Syconus
Pome
Dehiscent Indehiscent Schizocarpic
Drupe Etaerio of berries
(capsular) (achenial) (splitting)
(stony fruits)
Berry Etaerio of drupes
Legume or pod Achene Lomentum
(bacca)
Follicle Nut Cremocarp
Pepo
Siliqua Regma
Samara
Carcerulus Hesperidum
Silicula Cypsella
Double
Capsule Caryopsis samara Balausta
Pyxis Amphisarca
Hypanthium
1. Simple Fruits
These develop from the monocarpellary or polycarpellary syncarpous
ovary of a flower. These are divided into dry and succulent categories.
I. Dry Fruits
In dry fruits, the pericarp is dry and not differentiated into epicarp,
mesocarp and endocarp. These are classified into three categories –
capsular (dehiscent), achenial (indehiscent) and schizocarpic (splitting).
(i) Capsular (Multiseeded, Dehiscent Fruits)
In these, the pericarp splits open after ripening and seeds are exposed.
Morphology of Flowering Plants 95
They are classified as
Capsular Fruits
Legume/pod Follicle Siliqua Silicula
Persistent Stalk Midrib
calyx
Pericarp Valves
Seeds
Pericarp Hairy
Pericarp
seeds Pedicel
Ventral Seeds
suture Seeds Replum Sepal
Rectum
e.g., Brassica, e.g., Capsella,
e.g., Delphinium
etc. Iberis, etc.
e.g., Pisum, beans, Calotropis, etc.
Glycine, etc.
Capsule Pyxis
Seeds
Seeds
Pericarp
Pedicel
e.g., Celosia,
etc
e.g., cotton, Datura bhindi, etc.
(ii) Achenial Fruits (Single-Seeded, Indehiscent Fruits)
They develop from single ovulated ovary having basal placentation.
The seeds remain inside the pericarp after ripeneing.
These are of following types
Remnants
of style
e.g., Ranunculus,
Clematis, etc.
Embryo Stalk
Leathery pericarp
Achene
Seed
Spathe
Fleshy aril
Endosperm
e.g., wheat, rice, e.g., litchi,
maize, etc cashew nut,
Caryopsis Nut
etc.
Achenial Pedicel
Fruits
Hairy Winged pericarp
pappus
Seed
Cypsella Samara
e.g., Sonchus, Cosmos,
Tagetes, etc. e.g., Ulnus, Heloptelia, etc.
Achenial fruits and their types
