Fruits

After fertilisation, the ovules develop into seeds contained within the fruit. The fruit protects the ripening seeds and also plays a role in their dispersal. Efficient dispersal of the seeds is essential for the continuity of the species. It enables plants to colonise new sites and habitats but also helps young plants to avoid competition from other young seedlings in the same area. The competition would be for space, light, water and mineral salts. Fruits display an enormous variety of size, form and colour and their characteristics are clearly linked to the dispersal mechanism.

Fruits can be divided into ‘true fruits’ and ‘false fruits’. The true fruits can be classified further according to their botanical structure. The main types of true fruits are summarised in the key for true fruits.

Fruits can, however, also be grouped according to their dispersal mechanism. This approach is more likely to be used in a school teaching programme and the images given here have therefore been arranged into the four main dispersal groups as follows: fruits and seeds that are dispersed by animals, dispersed by wind, self dispersed and dispersed by water.

The series given in the sub-section ‘From flower to fruit’ are useful to illustrate the stages from the flower and development of its fruit after fertilisation.

Users of these images may also find it helpful to refer to the FSC fold out chart ‘A guide to fruits and seed dispersal’, designed particularly for younger pupils (Field Studies Council, Head Office, Montford Bridge, Preston Montford, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY4 1HW, web: http://www.field-studies-council.org/publications/index.aspx).

Dispersal by animals
Dispersal by wind
Self dispersal
Dispersal by water
From flower to fruit