Vruchttype

Vruchttype, or fruit type, is a botanical term used to classify fruits according to their development from the ovary and the structure of their surrounding tissues. The most common framework divides fruits into simple, aggregate, and multiple types, with further subdivisions based on whether the fruit is fleshy or dry.

Simple fruits develop from a single ovary of one flower. They can be fleshy or dry. Fleshy simple fruits include berries (a fleshy pericarp with multiple seeds; examples: grapes, tomatoes), drupes (a hardened endocarp surrounding a single seed; examples: peaches, cherries, olives), and pomes (edible tissue largely derived from the receptacle in which the ovary sits; examples: apples, pears). Dry simple fruits can be dehiscent (opening to release seeds, such as legumes and capsules) or indehiscent (not opening to release seeds, such as nuts and some grains).

Aggregate fruits arise from multiple ovaries of a single flower, each forming a small fruit that together constitutes the whole fruit. Examples include raspberries and blackberries, where the fruit is composed of several small units.

Multiple fruits form from the fusion of ovaries from multiple flowers in an inflorescence. As the flowers mature, their ovaries unite to produce a single mass; examples include pineapple and figs.

The classification of vruchttype is useful in botany, horticulture, and agriculture because fruit structure relates to seed dispersal, post-harvest handling, and culinary or industrial use. Some fruits also involve accessory tissues, making them interesting case studies for understanding plant development and evolution.