Botany Exam 1 Fruits and Nuts

Advantages and disadvantages of tropical crops

(+): more types than temperate fruits, have found a way to ship some while refrigerated (-): have to be grown in a frost free climate, have to be shipped long distances

Dehiscent fruits

Split at maturity

Pericarp

The fruit wall Consists of three layers: exocarp, mesocarp, endocarp

Pepo

Modified berry Relatively thick rind Ex. cucumbers

Exocarp

Outer layer

Difference between a fruit and vegetable

A fruit contains seeds A vegetable does not

What is a fruit?

A mature ovary that was fertilized by pollination Fruits protect and disperse seeds They are classified by: number of ovaries, fleshy or dry at maturity, way it releases seeds (dehiscence)

Grain

Aka caryopsis Dry Indehiscent Pericarp tightly united with seed Ex. grasses

Nuts

All except peanuts are native to temperate areas Embryo is the edible portion Monoecious: has male and female parts Walnuts, pecans, chestnuts, almonds, pistachios

Coconut Palm

Arecaceae family Origin: hard to determine Important to island and coastal natives in the tropics Oil is highly saturated Dispersed on ocean currents Largest nut/seed Liquid in green coconut = endosperm with free nuclei As fruit matures cell walls form the white meat (called Copra) Strand plant Resistant to high winds Uses: oil, fiber, food, drink

Pome

Berry Flesh comes from a receptacle that grows up around ovary Endocarp is papery or leathery Ring around core Ex. apples

Hesperidium

Berry Leathery skin containing oils Fleshy part is the endocarp Ex. citrus fruits

True berry

Berry Think skin and relatively soft pericarp Ex. blueberries

Walnuts

Black walnut tree used for wood, leaves produce juglone, practice allelopathy

Apricots

Brought to Greece from Persia by Alexander the Great Brought to new World by Spaniards Persia = seeds of the sun Chinese = thought they could prophesize with them Confucius = developed his philosophy under an apricot tree

Bitter oranges

Columbus brought bitter seeds over a long time before sweet oranges were introduced Uses: liqueurs, marmalade, perfume

Grapefruits

Cross between pomelo and sweet orange Pink grapefruits from bad mutation in FL Ruby reds from TX

Pineapples

Cultivated by 15th century Considered a "multiple fruit" Columbus gave it it's name American Indians symbol it as hospitality Uses: alcohols, arrow poison Flowers pollinated by hummingbirds Parthenocarpic = seedless Introduced to Hawaii in early 19th century J. D. Dole Contains enzyme bromelain that can tenderize meat

Capsules

Dehiscent Consist of at least two carpels and split in a variety of ways Ex. yucca

Siliques and silicles

Dehiscent Split along two sides, but seeds on central partition, which is exposed when two halves separate Ex. broccoli

Multiple fruits

Derived from several to many individual flowers in single inflorescence Ex. pineapple

Aggregate fruits

Derived from single flower with several to many pistils Ex. raspberries

Simple fleshy fruits

Develop from flower with single pistil

Pistachio

Dioecious trees: produce male and female flowers on one tree In the same family as poisen ivy

Indehiscent fruits

Do not split at maturity

Indehiscent

Does not open along sutures to release seeds

Follicle

Dry Dehiscent Splits along one side Ex. milkweed

Legume

Dry Dehiscent Splits along two sides Ex. beans

Nut

Dry Indehiscent Larger than achene Thicker, harder pericarp Cluster of bracts at base Ex. hazelnuts

Achene

Dry Indehiscent Seed attached to pericarp Ex. sunflower seed

Apple video

First apple trees in the US were sour and used to make cider Cider commonly drank because water wasn't clean then After 1900 apples were bred to be sweet/to be eaten Kazakhstan: source of apples in Europe Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman): set up nurseries, grew apples and sold seedlings to colonists, acted and dressed like he was poor Grafting: apple seeds had such varied genes so you didn't know what you were gonna get, Johnny Appleseed shunned grafting, people eventually started doing this to plan what crop you wanted

Avocados

First cultivated in FL The fruits don't ripen on the tree Aztec word meaning "testicle tree" because grow in pairs Highest energy fruit known Seed not protected Mesocarp very rich in oil (30%) Varieties: West Indian, Guatemalan, Mexican

Apple folklore

Hercules gathered apples for Hesperides to give him for immortality Adam and Eve William Tell shot an arrow through an apple on his son's head b/c he wouldn't pay money to conquerors Newton discovered gravity when an apple fell on his head Johnny Appleseed: John Chapman

Citrus crops

High in Vitamin C Dark, shiny evergreen leaves Acidity decreases over time Eating the endocarp Hesperidium fruit: modified berry *Note: kiwi has 10 x Vitamin C content per unit weight

Endocarp

Inner layer

Sweet oranges

May have been the "golden apples" the goddess of fertility gave to Hera when she married Zeus Types: bloods, normals, navels Grown in CA and FL

Fleshy fruits

Mesocarp at least partly fleshy at maturity

Dry fruits

Mesocarp is dry at maturity

Mesocarp

Middle layer

Dehiscent

Opens along sutures to release seeds Follice: splits along one side, most primitive kind of fruit Legume: splits along two sides

Okra

Origin: Asia In the cotton family Crop of French immigrants in Louisiana African name is gumbo Gelatinous consistency

Lemons

Origin: Asia Introduced to Americas by Columbus Inner portions of rind is a source of pectins

Apples

Origin: Asia Pyroideae/pome fruit Largest production Eaten since prehistoric times Seeds contain cyanide Grafting is used 6,500 varieties Macintosh, granny smith, red delicious, etc.

Plums

Origin: China Different ripening dates allows for continuous harvesting throughout the growing season Prunes are dried and fermented plums

Cherries

Origin: China Sweet and sour Marachino cherry is a sweet cherry that is bleached, seeded, and soaked in sugar, with red coloring added Marasca cherry = bitter Trees that line the Potomac in DC were a gift from the Japanese in the 30's

Peaches

Origin: China Symbolize long life Two types: freestone and cling US is now the leading producer of peaches Nectarine: non-fuzzy peach derived from a mutant propagated through grafting

Bananas

Origin: E Asia and Australia United Fruit Co, importing for 10 years, but fruit spoilage was high, UFC developed good transport system, "Banana Republic" means a place is dependent upon exportation of bananas Uses: fibers, food, or ornament, used for beer in Asia Largest herb on earth Taken from African to Canary Islands as food for slaves in 1500s

Tomato

Origin: E MEX Not accepted as food until 1860's bc thought to be poisenous Until man ate basket of them in public area and had no bad side effects Later some thought they had aphrodisiac powers Industry selects for toughness over flavor

Cantaloupe

Origin: India and Africa Moldy cantaloupe in IL market gave rise to penicillin

Eggplant

Origin: India or S China No known ancestor Doesn't grow in the wild Uses: staple food in India, accessory food elsewhere

Squash

Origin: MEX Fruits are pepos The hard rind allows for good storage Includes pumpkin, zucchini, etc.

Sweet Peppers

Origin: MEX Selected for sweetness Don't produce capsicum, chemical that gives burning sensation

Olives

Origin: Mediterranean Oleaceae family Fresh olives are bitter because of the chemical oleuropein Exposed to air = olive turns black Kept submerged in NaOH = olive stays green 2% of olive crop is used for eating 98% is used for oil

Grapes

Origin: Middle Asia Vitaceae family New world grape is fox grape Concord and Catalba varieties Raisins are dried grapes Mediterranean climate is cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers so good for grape growth

Cucumber

Origin: S Asia Contains a lot of water

Mangoes

Origin: SE Asia In poison ivy family Important in Haiti and Jamaica

Watermelon

Origin: South Africa 87-92% water content

Pears

Origin: central Europe or west China Second largest production Gritty texture caused by stone cells Cultivated in Europe since Grecian times

Rosaceae

Rose family Spiraeoideae: aggregate fruits of follicles Pyroideae: pome fruits with fleshy accessory tissue Prunoideae: drupe/pit fruits Rosoideae: aggregate fruits of achenes

Strawberry

Rosoidae Origin: old and new world Common name from the appearance of stolons (above ground horizontal stems)

Almonds

Seed contains amygdalin that gives the flavor/smell Cyanide poisening, foaming at the mouth, gives off almond smell

How the first fruit evolved

Seed dispersal by animals?

Types of fruits

Simple Fruit, Fleshy Fruit, Aggregate Fruits, Multiple Fruits, and Temperate Climate Fruits

Berry

Simple fleshy fruit From compound ovary, with more than one seed, and with fleshy pericarp

Drupe

Simple fleshy fruit Single seed enclosed by hard, stony endocarp (pit)