kokohedelmästä

Kokoelmähedelmä is a Finnish term that translates to "collection fruit" or "aggregate fruit" in English. It refers to a type of fruit that develops from an inflorescence, where multiple simple fruits fuse together to form a single, larger structure. This is distinct from a simple fruit, which develops from a single flower with a single ovary.

The formation of a kokoelmähedelmä involves several pistils from a single flower maturing and coalescing into a unified fruit. Each individual component of the kokoelmähedelmä originates from a separate carpel within the flower. Common examples of aggregate fruits include the raspberry and the strawberry. In a raspberry, each small, bumpy drupelet is a simple fruit derived from a single carpel, and all these drupelets are clustered together on a central receptacle. Similarly, the fleshy part of a strawberry is an enlarged receptacle, and the small "seeds" on its surface are technically achenes, which are themselves simple fruits derived from the many carpels of the original flower.

The structure and texture of kokoelmähedelmät can vary widely depending on the plant species. They are often characterized by their segmented appearance, reflecting their origin from multiple fused units. These fruits play a significant role in seed dispersal, as their often attractive and edible nature encourages consumption by animals, which then aid in spreading the seeds.