Exocarp or Epicarp

The outermost layer of the pericarp is called epicarp in botanical terms (or fruit). If the fruit has an outer skin, the epicarp is responsible for it. The exocarp, or flavedo in citrus, is another name for the epicarp.

Epicarp

Epicarp is the botanical word for the pericarp’s outermost layer (or fruit). If the fruit has one, the epicarp produces strong outer skin. The epicarp is sometimes referred to as the exocarp or, in the case of citrus, the flavedo.

The Fruit- Definition, Structure, Types and Uses

Fruit is the part of the plant which is edible and nutritious as well as bearing seeds. Although humans don’t eat all fruits, they are necessary for seed distribution, therapeutic properties, and other reasons. You’ve probably heard the saying, Vitamins, minerals, and fibre are all found in fruits, and they are all useful to our health. Plants reproduce sexually and generate fruits as a consequence. Fruits are a defining feature of flowering plants. We’ll look at what fruits are, how they’re made in plants, how they’re built, and how they’re used in this post.

What are Fruits?

Fruits are the developed ovary of a flower that bears the plant’s seeds. Fruits can also emerge from other parts of the bloom in some instances. The ovary, as we all recognise, is a female reproductive organ that bears ovules, which develop into seeds after fertilisation. Whenever fertilisation fails for some cause, the ovary just withers and falls off. Fruits can be formed without fertilisation in some plants, and these fruits are referred to as parthenocarpic fruits.

Parts of Fruits

The fruit is divided into two sections.

Pericarp

The pericarp, widely referred to as the fruit wall, emerges from the ovary wall. It can be thick or thin, and it is usually divided into three layers:

Epicarp

The outer layer of the fruit also referred to as exocarp, is a hard protective skin.

Mesocarp

The central layer of the fruit is the fleshy component.

Endocarp

This is the deepest layer of the seed that surrounds it.

Seed

It is generated from the flower’s ovule. It is located in the centre of the fruit, that is encircled by an endocarp covering.

Classification of Fruits

Fruits are classed based on a variety of factors:

Classification Based on Organ of Development

Based on the organ of development, there are two sorts of fruits:

a. True Fruits: True fruits are fruits that are generated only from the ovary. True fruits include guava, mango, and grapes, to name a few.

b. False Fruits: False fruits or pseudocarps are formed since other floral components other than the ovary, including tepals, bracts, or the thalamus, are involved in the production of fruits.

Classification Based on Development

After maturation, the bloom transforms into a fruit. The ovary and its components grow into fruit after sexual reproduction in plants. The majority of the plant’s pericarp becomes meaty. There are three stages in the formation of a fruit:

a. Apocarpous: Apocarpous fruits are made up of a single blossom including one or more carpels and are the simplest to produce.

b. Syncarpous: It is made up of two or more carpels from a single gynoecium. Carpels are fused in this region.

c. Multiple: They’re made up of flower clusters referred to as inflorescences.

Classification Based on the Number of Ovaries and Flowers Involved

True fruits are divided into three categories based on the number of ovaries and flowers involved in their development:

1. simple Fruits

2. Fruits in a group

3. Fruits that are composite or numerous

Simple fruits

Simple fruits are those that are formed from a single carpel or multiple fused carpels of a flower, with or without additional components. These are created from a single flower’s ovary. They can be dry or meaty, dehiscent or indehiscent.

Aggregate fruits

Numerous ovaries of free carpels in the same flower produce aggregate fruits. Fruitlets originate from individual carpels or pistils, but they develop in a cluster on a single receptacle. A drupe, achene, follicle, or berry is formed from a single ovary. An etaerio is a collection of these fruits produced by a single bloom.

Composite or multiple fruits

An inflorescence with several blooms close together and mostly fused produces a multiple or composite fruit.

Uses of Fruits

Fruits are the juicy, flavorful components of the plant which serve a variety of functions. Fruits can be used for a variety of purposes, including:

1. Fruits provide sustenance for a variety of animals, including humans.

2. Fruits are high in vitamins, minerals, and proteins, which help us stay healthy and combat diseases caused by deficiency.

3. Many fruits are high in fibre, which helps to improve our digestive system.

4. Organic acids are found in fruits.

5. Fruits are employed in cooking as a natural sweetener and even as a colouring agent.

6. Edible oil is obtained from fruits such as coconut, castor, and peanut.

7. Ayurvedic medicines are made from the fruits of several plants, which have medicinal characteristics.

8. Industrially, fruits are used in a variety of beauty goods, beverages, and foods.

Difference between Exocarp and Epicarp

Epicarp is the outermost layer of the pericarp of fruits; the skin or epicarp is the difference between epicarp and exocarp. Epicarp is (botany) exocarp, whereas exocarp is (biology) the outermost layer of the pericarp of fruits; the skin or epicarp.

Conclusion

Fruits are the most important edible portions of plants. Fruits’ primary role is to disperse seeds. A wide variety of animals eat the fleshy parts of the fruits but not the seeds, assisting in seed dissemination to different regions. The structure of fruits aids in dispersal; for instance, samara fruits have one or more wings, which allow them to be transported away by the wind. The outermost layer of the pericarp is known as epicarp in botanical terms. The epicarp, if the fruit has one, develops the tough outer skin. In the case of citrus, the epicarp is also known as the exocarp or flavedo.