Drupa: what it is and features

In botany , it is known as drupe the simple fruits whose mesocarp is pulpy, fibrous or leathery type and inside which lies a endocarp woody type, usually called bone. That is to say, simply and colloquially stated, it is about those fruits, most of them fleshy, that contain a single stone (or a maximum of two) in their center. In addition, these fruits can be composed of one or more carpels.

We recommend you take a look at this other AgroCorrn article about the different types of fruits .

It is common to refer to drupes as simply stone fruits . Despite their characteristics defined above, it is not always easy to differentiate drupes from berries. It is important to distinguish the drupe from a hesperidium, pommel or berry, the latter the most common of the simple fleshy fruits. Apart from those already mentioned, these are some of the characteristics of the drupe :

• Although they usually develop from a single carpel , there are drupes that come from inferior ovaries or syncarpic ovaries.
• On occasions when there may be more than one carpel, it may happen that each carpel develops its own endocarp and, therefore, the fruit contains a pit for each carpel .
• It is a very varied family, in which we find both fleshy and dried fruits .
• It is characterized because its seeds are extraordinarily well protected by the very hard bone, which is often confused with the seed itself.

Here you can expand this knowledge by learning more about the parts of the fruit and their functions .

There are many trees and plants with drupes , many of which are vastly different from each other. Some, in fact, are very common species that an amateur would not think to relate, such as the peach and coconut trees. Let’s see what are the main examples of plants with drupe:

• Peach tree
• Olivo
• Coconut tree
• Almendro

Also called peach, the peach tree or Prunus persica is probably the most representative tree in terms of drupe species. So much so, that in many cases drupes are called , in general, stone fruits precisely because of the peach.

It is a fruit tree that has its origin in China and gives rise to a sweet and very juicy fruit that is currently consumed practically all over the world. It is a species of deciduous leaf, which grows to approximately 10 meters in height, although in fruit crops it is pruned lower to make its harvest easier.

The peach or peach is known for its properties in the fight against cholesterol, but it has a large number of beneficial properties for the human body. It is also very rich in vitamin A and flavonoids, which help prevent some heart diseases and ailments.

Its scientific name is Olea europaea and it is a tree that has been cultivated since the times of the ancient Egyptians. It has its origin in Asia Minor and has been traditionally cultivated in the Mediterranean area , which is ideal for its climate and the rusticity of the plant.

It is an evergreen tree with a life expectancy of hundreds and even thousands of years, although it only usefully produces fruit for the first few hundred, especially when young. They reach heights of between 2 and 10 meters although, as with many of these species, they are kept low on farms to facilitate harvesting.

Despite the great resistance of olive trees , when they are cultivated for their drupe , that is, their olives or olives , it is important that they receive enough minerals and water before their flowering, or this can be seriously damaged, although not the tree health. Olives are consumed in innumerable ways by themselves, in addition to being the ingredient from which the precious olive oil, basic in Mediterranean cuisine, is extracted.

The scientific name of this palm tree is Cocos nucifera , which reaches impressive heights of up to 30 meters. It is a species typical of sandy beaches in the tropics, on the coasts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, as well as those of the Caribbean Sea.

In addition to its striking appearance, the most remarkable thing about this palm is its drupe, the coconut , which is the largest seed that exists. Coconuts are not fleshy fruits, although their white endosperm is edible, as well as the water that the drupe contains, the water or the coconut milk.

Thanks to such elaborate protection, coconuts can travel enormous distances floating through the sea, to later reach the beaches and germinate on them without the slightest problem.

The Prunus dulcis or almond tree is a deciduous tree native to Central Asia. It is a fruit tree valued not only for its drupe, the almond, but for its spectacular flowering. The flowers, white or pink in color, appear long before the leaves themselves, so all the branches of the tree are covered in that soft tone that gives it a unique appearance.

What is consumed from the fruit of the almond trees , that is, its seed, is a widely known and widely used dry fruit in many cuisines, with a large number of beneficial properties for health. In gastronomy, it is used both as a dressing or in sauces and to make almond milk, an alternative to cow’s milk.

If you want to read more articles similar to Drupa: what it is and characteristics , we recommend that you enter our Biology category .