pericarpous

Pericarpous is an adjective used in botany to describe fruits that have a pericarp. The pericarp is the part of a fruit that develops from the ovary wall of a flower. It is typically the outermost layer of the fruit and can be differentiated into three layers: the exocarp, which is the skin; the mesocarp, which is the fleshy or fibrous part; and the endocarp, which is the hard, stony, or papery layer surrounding the seed or seeds. Therefore, a pericarpous fruit is any fruit that possesses this structure.

Examples of pericarpous fruits are abundant in the plant kingdom. Common fruits like apples, pears, and peaches are pericarpous, with their familiar skins, flesh, and pits or cores representing the exocarp, mesocarp, and endocarp respectively. Berries, such as tomatoes and grapes, also have a pericarp, though the layers may be less distinct. Nuts, like acorns or walnuts, are another category of pericarpous fruits where the endocarp forms a hard shell. The term emphasizes the presence and development of the pericarp as a defining characteristic of many types of fruits.