Question

Describe the false fruit with a diagram.

Hint:

Thalamus forms the bulk; the ovary forms only the small core.

Answer 1

Step 1: Define false fruit:
A false fruit (pseudocarp) is a fruit that develops mainly from a floral part other than the ovary, such as the thalamus (receptacle), unlike a true fruit which develops solely from the fertilized ovary.

Step 2: Explain the structural difference from a true fruit:
In a false fruit, the swollen, edible part is largely the enlarged thalamus, with the actual ovary-derived tissue (the true fruit / core containing seeds) often forming a smaller, separate structure within or at one end.

Step 3: Give an example:
Apple is the classic example of a false fruit - the fleshy edible part we eat is the swollen thalamus, while the true fruit (formed from the ovary) is the small, five-chambered core containing the seeds.

Final Answer:
A false fruit (like the apple) develops mainly from the thalamus rather than the ovary; a labelled diagram would show the thalamus forming the bulk of the flesh, with the true, ovary-derived fruit as the small central core enclosing the seeds.