94-647: A pitaya ( / p ɪ ˈ t aɪ . ə / ) or pitahaya ( / ˌ p ɪ t ə ˈ h aɪ . ə / ) is the fruit of several cactus species indigenous to the region of southern Mexico and along the Pacific coasts of Guatemala , Costa Rica , and El Salvador . Pitaya is cultivated in East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the United States, the Caribbean, Australia, Brazil, and throughout tropical and subtropical regions of
188-423: A fruit is the seed -bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering (see Fruit anatomy ). Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propagated using the movements of humans and other animals in a symbiotic relationship that is the means for seed dispersal for the one group and nutrition for
282-561: A risk factor for cardiovascular diseases . Fruit consumption is under preliminary research for the potential to improve nutrition and affect chronic diseases. Regular consumption of fruit is generally associated with reduced risks of several diseases and functional declines associated with aging. For food safety , the CDC recommends proper fruit handling and preparation to reduce the risk of food contamination and foodborne illness . Fresh fruits and vegetables should be carefully selected; at
376-466: A sonicating bee (one that vibrates its wing muscles while perched on the flower), such as a bumblebee. Sonicating bees are extremely efficient pollinators of tomatoes, and colonies of bumblebees are quickly replacing humans as the primary pollinators for greenhouse tomatoes. Pollinators require a variety of resources. Most native bees in North America are solitary, ground-nesting species that collect
470-450: A blackberry is an aggregate-accessory fruit, and an apple is a simple-accessory fruit. Seedlessness is an important feature of some fruits of commerce. Commercial cultivars of bananas and pineapples are examples of seedless fruits . Some cultivars of citrus fruits (especially grapefruit , mandarin oranges , navel oranges , satsumas ), table grapes , and of watermelons are valued for their seedlessness. In some species, seedlessness
564-781: A certain time, harmful bacteria may grow on them and increase the risk of foodborne illness. Pollinator A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains. Insects are the major pollinators of most plants, and insect pollinators include all families of bees and most families of aculeate wasps ; ants ; many families of flies ; many lepidopterans (both butterflies and moths ); and many families of beetles . Vertebrates, mainly bats and birds, but also some non-bat mammals ( monkeys , lemurs , possums , rodents ) and some lizards pollinate certain plants. Among
658-598: A comprehensive approach to tackling and reducing the impact of multiple stressors on pollinator health, including pests and pathogens, reduced habitat, lack of nutritional resources, and exposure to pesticides. The national strategy laid out federal actions to achieve three goals: Many of the priority projects that the national strategy identified focused on the I-35 corridor, which extends for 1,500 miles (2,400 km) from Texas to Minnesota. The area through which that highway travels provides spring and summer breeding habitats in
752-442: A critical point. This simultaneous collapse occurs, because pollinator species depend on each other when surviving under difficult conditions. Such a community-wide collapse, involving many pollinator species, can occur suddenly when increasingly harsh conditions pass a critical point and recovery from such a collapse might not be easy. The improvement in conditions needed for pollinators to recover, could be substantially larger than
846-502: A fetid odor . The plants' ecological strategy varies; several species of Stapelia , for example, attract carrion flies that futilely lay their eggs on the flower, where their larvae promptly starve for lack of carrion . Other species do decay rapidly after ripening, and offer the visiting insects large masses of food, as well as pollen and sometimes seed to carry off when they leave. Hoverflies are important pollinators of flowering plants worldwide. Often hoverflies are considered to be
940-518: A head, is produced first. After fertilization , each flower in the cluster develops into a drupe; as the drupes expand, they develop as a connate organ, merging into a multiple fleshy fruit called a syncarp . Progressive stages of multiple flowering and fruit development can be observed on a single branch of the Indian mulberry, or noni . During the sequence of development, a progression of second, third, and more inflorescences are initiated in turn at
1034-538: A key ecosystem service vital to the maintenance of both wild and agricultural plant communities. In 1999 the Convention on Biological Diversity issued the São Paulo Declaration on Pollinators, recognizing the critical role that these species play in supporting and maintaining terrestrial productivity as well as the survival challenges they face due to anthropogenic change. Today pollinators are considered to be in
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#17330858544591128-459: A moderate amount of rain. In numerous regions, it has escaped cultivation to become a weed and is classified as an invasive weed in some countries. Stems and fruits are susceptible to several diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, a nematode , and a virus. Overwatering or excessive rainfall can cause the flowers to drop and fruit to rot. The bacterium Xanthomonas campestris causes the stems to rot. Dothiorella fungi can cause brown spots on
1222-549: A mud chamber prior to oviposition. Also, males of many species of bees and wasps, though they do not gather pollen, rely on flowers as sources of energy (in the form of nectar) and also as territories for meeting fertile females that visit the flowers. Some Diptera (flies) may be the main pollinators at higher elevations of mountains, whereas bumblebee species are typically the only other pollinators in alpine regions at timberline and beyond. Some adult mosquitoes , if they feed on nectar, may act as pollinators; Aedes communis ,
1316-557: A name used since 1963, apparently resulting from the leather-like skin and prominent scaly spikes on the fruit exterior. The fruit is often designated as "Vietnamese dragon fruit" as Vietnam is the lead exporter. The fruit may also be known as a strawberry pear . The names pitahaya and pitaya derive from Mexico, and pitaya roja in Central America and northern South America, possibly relating to pitahaya for names of tall cacti species with flowering fruit. Pitaya or dragon fruit
1410-401: A network of interactions between plants and pollinators. Surprising similarities were found in the structure of networks consisting out of the interactions between plants and pollinators. This structure was found to be similar in very different ecosystems on different continents, consisting of entirely different species. The structure of plant-pollinator networks may have large consequences for
1504-644: A new plant some distance away from the parent. Other fruits have evolved flattened and elongated wings or helicopter-like blades, e.g., elm , maple , and tuliptree . This mechanism increases dispersal distance away from the parent via wind. Other wind-dispersed fruit have tiny " parachutes ", e.g., dandelion , milkweed , salsify . Coconut fruits can float thousands of miles in the ocean, thereby spreading their seeds. Other fruits that can disperse via water are nipa palm and screw pine . Some fruits have evolved propulsive mechanisms that fling seeds substantial distances – perhaps up to 100 m (330 ft) in
1598-680: A number of different forms from a wide range of families, including carrot , parsnip , parsley , cumin . An aggregate fruit is also called an aggregation, or etaerio ; it develops from a single flower that presents numerous simple pistils . Each pistil contains one carpel ; together, they form a fruitlet. The ultimate (fruiting) development of the aggregation of pistils is called an aggregate fruit , etaerio fruit , or simply an etaerio . Different types of aggregate fruits can produce different etaerios, such as achenes, drupelets, follicles, and berries. Some other broadly recognized species and their etaerios (or aggregations) are: The pistils of
1692-408: A particular hawk moth , Morgan's sphinx . Yucca species provide other examples, being fertilised in elaborate ecological interactions with particular species of yucca moths . Many bee flies , and some Tabanidae and Nemestrinidae are particularly adapted to pollinating fynbos and Karoo plants with narrow, deep corolla tubes , such as Lapeirousia species. Part of the adaptation takes
1786-873: A preliminary project in Chile, the program has expanded to Colombia, Argentina, and Costa Rica. The ‘Coalition of the Willing on Pollinators' (Promote Pollinators) was initiated in 2016 during the Convention on Biological Diversity's Conference of the Parties (CBD COP13) and is a growing alliance of countries and observers who support the notion that country-led politics can lead to policy measures and innovative action to protect pollinators'. Their supporters are growing steadily, in which 30 countries currently participate. Wild pollinators often visit many plant species and plants are visited by many pollinator species. All these relations together form
1880-442: A prominent pointed terminal projection is said to be beaked . A fruit results from the fertilizing and maturing of one or more flowers. The gynoecium , which contains the stigma-style-ovary system, is centered in the flower-head, and it forms all or part of the fruit. Inside the ovary(ies) are one or more ovules . Here begins a complex sequence called double fertilization : a female gametophyte produces an egg cell for
1974-404: A single flower with numerous pistils typically produces an aggregate fruit ; and the merging of several flowers, or a 'multiple' of flowers, results in a 'multiple' fruit. A simple fruit is further classified as either dry or fleshy. To distribute their seeds, dry fruits may split open and discharge their seeds to the winds, which is called dehiscence . Or the distribution process may rely upon
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#17330858544592068-700: A species found in North America, is known to pollinate Platanthera obtusata , commonly referred as the blunt-leaved orchid. Beetles of species that specialise in eating pollen, nectar, or flowers themselves, may be important cross-pollinators of some plants such as members of the Araceae and Zamiaceae , that produce prodigious amounts of pollen. Others, for example the Hopliini , specialise on flowers of Asteraceae and Aizoaceae . Minute midges and flower- thrips can occur in vast numbers, moving between flowers and plant individuals, enabling some species to contribute to
2162-508: A state of decline; some species, such as Franklin's bumble bee ( Bombus franklini ) have been red-listed and are in danger of extinction. Although managed bee hives are increasing worldwide, these can not compensate for the loss of wild pollinators in many locations. A 2017 report done for the Center of Biological Diversity utilized data documented in the United States on native bee species and found that nearly 1 in 4 (347 species of 1,437 species)
2256-433: A strain genetically pure. This can involve using a small brush or cotton swab to move pollen, or to simply tap or shake tomato blossoms to release the pollen for the self-pollinating flowers. Tomato blossoms are self-fertile, but (with the exception of potato-leaf varieties) have the pollen inside the anther , and the flower requires shaking to release the pollen through pores . This can be done by wind, by humans, or by
2350-419: A threat to the economic stability of commercial beekeeping and pollination operations in the United States, which could have profound implications for agriculture and food. Severe yearly declines create concern that bee colony losses could reach a point from which the commercial pollination industry would not be able to adequately recover. The loss of native bees, which also play a key role in pollination of crops,
2444-711: A variety of natural resources including pollen, nectar, leaves, petals and resins to be used as sources of food, supplies for their larva, or nest linings. Floral diet diversity has been seen to increase immunocompetence levels in honeybees (Apis mellifera) where diets that consisted of a wide variety of flowering species induced higher glucose oxidase activity, which honeybees' produce to sterilize their colony. More than 30% of global bee species depend on non-floral resources for nest building, protection, health, pest resistance, and alternative food sources. Non-floral resources include leaves, soil, plant resins and secretions, and are often provided by woody-vegetation. Pollinators provide
2538-595: Is a collaboration between the Bayer Bee Care Center and the Fraunhofer Chile Research Foundation, that works alongside local researchers at universities and beekeepers' associations. The program focuses on increasing the number of healthy worker bees and their colonies by monitoring honey bee health and the contributing factors. This includes educating beekeepers and research collaborations to jointly work on honey bee health. Founded in 2015 with
2632-630: Is a concern for home growers. As their growth continues, these climbing plants will find something to climb on, which can involve putting aerial roots down from the branches in addition to the basal roots. Once the plant reaches a mature 4.5 kilograms (10 pounds) in weight, the plant may flower. Commercial plantings can be done at high density with between 1,100 and 1,350 per hectare (445 and 546/acre). Plants can take up to 60 months/260 weeks to come into full commercial production, at which stage yields of 20 to 30 metric tons (22 to 33 short tons) can be expected. Pitaya flowers bloom overnight and usually wilt by
2726-974: Is a ripened ovary or carpel that contains seeds, e.g., an orange, pomegranate, tomato or a pumpkin. A nut is a type of fruit (and not a seed), and a seed is a ripened ovule . In culinary language, a fruit is the sweet- or not sweet- (even sour-) tasting produce of a specific plant (e.g., a peach, pear or lemon); nuts are hard, oily, non-sweet plant produce in shells ( hazelnut , acorn ). Vegetables , so-called, typically are savory or non-sweet produce ( zucchini , lettuce, broccoli, and tomato). but some may be sweet-tasting (sweet potato). Examples of botanically classified fruit that are typically called vegetables include cucumber , pumpkin , and squash (all are cucurbits ); beans , peanuts , and peas (all legumes ); and corn , eggplant , bell pepper (or sweet pepper), and tomato. Many spices are fruits, botanically speaking, including black pepper , chili pepper , cumin and allspice . In contrast, rhubarb
2820-549: Is developing strategic plans for conservation that looks to establish partnership between government entities. 11 pollinator-protection agreements have been signed between NAPCC and federal government agencies, responsible for more than 1.5 billion acres of land protections and management. Along with the European Green Deal , which contains initiatives that support pollinator populations, the European Union has implemented
2914-532: Is high protein food, to nurture their young, and transfer some among the flowers as they are working. Euglossine bees pollinate orchids, but these are male bees collecting floral scents rather than females gathering nectar or pollen. Female orchid bees act as pollinators, but of flowers other than orchids. Eusocial bees such as honey bees need an abundant and steady pollen source to multiply. Honey bees travel from flower to flower, collecting nectar (later converted to honey ), and pollen grains. The bee collects
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3008-702: Is imperiled and at increasing risk of extinction. More than half of the native bee species is in decline and 40% of global insect pollinators (primarily native bees) are highly threatened. Declines in the health and population of pollinators pose what could be a significant threat to the integrity of biodiversity, to global food webs, and to human health. At least 80% of our world's crop species require pollination to set seed. A 2021 study estimated that without pollinators, fertility would be reduced by 80% in half all wild plant species and one-third of all wild plant species would fail to produce any seeds at all. An estimated one out of every three bites of food comes to us through
3102-580: Is much less studied, but many native bee species are believed to be in decline. Scientists believe that bee losses are likely caused by a combination of stressors, including poor bee nutrition, loss of forage lands, parasites, pathogens, lack of genetic diversity, and exposure to pesticides. In May 2015, the Pollinator Health Task Force issued a "National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators". The national strategy outlined
3196-401: Is native to the region of southern Mexico and along the Pacific coasts of Guatemala , Costa Rica , and El Salvador . The dragon fruit is cultivated in East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the United States, the Caribbean, Australia, and throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Stenocereus fruit (sour pitayas) are a variety that is commonly eaten in the arid regions of
3290-417: Is often called a fruit when used in making pies , but the edible produce of rhubarb is actually the leaf stalk or petiole of the plant. Edible gymnosperm seeds are often given fruit names, e.g., ginkgo nuts and pine nuts . Botanically, a cereal grain, such as corn , rice , or wheat is a kind of fruit (termed a caryopsis ). However, the fruit wall is thin and fused to the seed coat, so almost all
3384-810: Is pressed for olive oil and similar processing is applied to other oil-bearing fruits and vegetables. Some fruits are available all year round, while others (such as blackberries and apricots in the UK) are subject to seasonal availability. Fruits are also used for socializing and gift-giving in the form of fruit baskets and fruit bouquets . Typically, many botanical fruits – "vegetables" in culinary parlance – (including tomato, green beans, leaf greens, bell pepper, cucumber, eggplant, okra, pumpkin, squash, zucchini) are bought and sold daily in fresh produce markets and greengroceries and carried back to kitchens, at home or restaurant, for preparation of meals. All fruits benefit from proper post-harvest care, and in many fruits,
3478-798: Is that of sexual deception, where plants, generally orchids, produce remarkably complex combinations of pheromonal attractants and physical mimicry that induce male bees or wasps to attempt to mate with them, conveying pollinia in the process. Examples are known from all continents apart from Antarctica , though Australia appears to be exceptionally rich in examples. Whole groups of plants, such as certain fynbos Moraea and Erica species produce flowers on sticky peduncles or with sticky corolla tubes that only permit access to flying pollinators, whether bird, bat, or insect. Experimental evidence has shown invertebrates (mostly small crustaceans ) acting as pollinators in underwater environments. Beds of seagrass have been shown to reproduce this way in
3572-522: Is the result of parthenocarpy , where fruits set without fertilization. Parthenocarpic fruit-set may (or may not) require pollination, but most seedless citrus fruits require a stimulus from pollination to produce fruit. Seedless bananas and grapes are triploids , and seedlessness results from the abortion of the embryonic plant that is produced by fertilization, a phenomenon known as stenospermocarpy , which requires normal pollination and fertilization. Variations in fruit structures largely depend on
3666-505: The pericarp (fruit wall) is fleshy at maturity are termed fleshy simple fruits . Types of fleshy simple fruits, (with examples) include: Berries are a type of simple fleshy fruit that issue from a single ovary. (The ovary itself may be compound, with several carpels.) The botanical term true berry includes grapes, currants, cucumbers, eggplants (aubergines), tomatoes, chili peppers, and bananas, but excludes certain fruits that are called "-berry" by culinary custom or by common usage of
3760-569: The Daily Value each for vitamin C and calcium . The fatty acid compositions of the seed oils of Selenicereus costaricensis , syn. Hylocereus costaricensis (red-fleshed pitaya) and Selenicereus undatus , syn. Hylocereus undatus (white-fleshed pitaya) were similar: myristic acid (negligible), palmitic acid (17%), stearic acid (5%), palmitoleic acid (about 1%), oleic acid (22%), cis- vaccenic acid (3%), linoleic acid (50%), and α-linolenic acid (1%). Fruit In botany ,
3854-588: The Environmental Protection Agency to ban neonicotinoids , a type of insecticide. On June 20, 2014, President Barack Obama issued a presidential memorandum entitled "Creating a Federal Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators". The President's memorandum established a Pollinator Health Task Force, to be co-chaired by the Secretary of Agriculture and the Administrator of
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3948-448: The innate yellow colour preference of syrphids. Some male dacine fruit flies are exclusive pollinators of some wild Bulbophyllum orchids that lack nectar and have a specific chemical attractant and reward (methyl eugenol, raspberry ketone or zingerone) present in their floral fragrances. Many insects other than bees accomplish pollination by visiting flowers for nectar or pollen, or commonly both. Many do so adventitiously, but
4042-603: The modes of dispersal applied to their seeds. Dispersal is achieved by wind or water, by explosive dehiscence , and by interactions with animals. Some fruits present their outer skins or shells coated with spikes or hooked burrs; these evolved either to deter would-be foragers from feeding on them or to serve to attach themselves to the hair, feathers, legs, or clothing of animals, thereby using them as dispersal agents. These plants are termed zoochorous ; common examples include cocklebur , unicorn plant , and beggarticks (or Spanish needle) . By developments of mutual evolution,
4136-434: The raspberry are called drupelets because each pistil is like a small drupe attached to the receptacle. In some bramble fruits, such as blackberry , the receptacle, an accessory part, elongates and then develops as part of the fruit, making the blackberry an aggregate-accessory fruit. The strawberry is also an aggregate-accessory fruit, of which the seeds are contained in the achenes . Notably in all these examples,
4230-411: The "Dragotini". The flowers can be eaten or steeped as tea . The red and purple colors of some Selenicereus fruits are due to betacyanins , a family of pigments that includes betanin , the same substance that gives beets , Swiss chard , and amaranth their red color. The USDA FoodData Central database published their analysis of the nutritional contents of raw Pitaya in 2022. The majority of
4324-412: The (deposited) pollen through the stigma down the style into the ovary to the ovule. Two sperm are transferred from the pollen to a megagametophyte. Within the megagametophyte, one sperm unites with the egg, forming a zygote , while the second sperm enters the central cell forming the endosperm mother cell, which completes the double fertilization process. Later, the zygote will give rise to the embryo of
4418-748: The Americas and Australia historically has been performed by various native bees. It has also been found that non-native plants may have positive effects on native bee pollinators while also influencing their foraging patterns and bee–plant networks. Lepidoptera ( butterflies and moths ) may also pollinate to various degrees. They are not major pollinators of food crops , but various moths are important pollinators of other commercial crops such as tobacco . Pollination by certain moths may be important, however, or even crucial, for some wildflowers mutually adapted to specialist pollinators. Spectacular examples include orchids such as Angraecum sesquipedale , dependent on
4512-496: The Americas. They are more sour and refreshing, with juicier flesh and a stronger taste. The sour pitaya or pitaya agria ( S. gummosus ) in the Sonoran Desert has been an important food source for indigenous peoples of the Americas . The Seri people of northwestern Mexico still harvest the fruit, and call the plant ziix is ccapxl "thing whose fruit is sour". The fruit of related species, such as S. queretaroensis and
4606-676: The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 which includes the EU Pollinators Initiative that sets long-term objectives to reverse pollinator decline in diversity and numbers by 2030. This initiative includes: (1) improving knowledge of pollinator decline, its causes and consequences; (2) tackling the causes of pollinator decline; and (3) raising awareness, engaging society-at-large and promoting collaboration. The Healthy Hives Latin America 2020 (Salud Apícola 2020 Latinoamérica) program
4700-542: The Environmental Protection Agency . The memorandum stated: Pollinators contribute substantially to the economy of the United States and are vital to keeping fruits, nuts, and vegetables in our diets. Honey bee pollination alone adds more than $ 15 billion in value to agricultural crops each year in the United States. Over the past few decades, there has been a significant loss of pollinators, including honey bees, native bees, birds, bats, and butterflies, from
4794-607: The Task Force issued a "Pollinator Partnership Action Plan". That Plan provided examples of past, ongoing, and possible future collaborations between the federal government and non-federal institutions to support pollinator health under each of the national strategy's goals. The North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) aims to promote pollinator health across the North America and has organized annual conferences since 1997, creates task forces to implement specific objectives that includes public education and policy research, and
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#17330858544594888-442: The United States' key monarch migration corridor. The Pollinator Health Task Force simultaneously issued a "Pollinator Research Action Plan". The Plan outlined five main action areas, covered in ten subject-specific chapters. The action areas were: (1) Setting a Baseline; (2) Assessing Environmental Stressors; (3) Restoring Habitat; (4) Understanding and Supporting Stakeholders; (5) Curating and Sharing Knowledge. In June 2016,
4982-805: The absence of currents. It is not yet known how important invertebrate pollinators might be for other species. Later, Idotea balthica was discovered to help Gracilaria gracilis reproduce – the first known case of an animal helping algae reproduce. Bats are important pollinators of some tropical flowers, visiting to take nectar. Birds, particularly hummingbirds , honeyeaters and sunbirds also accomplish much pollination, especially of deep-throated flowers. Other vertebrates , such as kinkajous , monkeys , lemurs , possums , rodents and lizards have been recorded pollinating some plants. Humans can be pollinators, as many gardeners have discovered that they must hand pollinate garden vegetables , whether because of pollinator decline or simply to keep
5076-408: The attachment of other floral parts – there are parts (including petals, sepals, and stamens) that fuse with the ovary and ripen with it. For such a case, when floral parts other than the ovary form a significant part of the fruit that develops, it is called an accessory fruit . Examples of accessory fruits include apple, rose hip, strawberry, and pineapple. Because several parts of the flower besides
5170-612: The authors. Neonicotinoids (Neonics) are a class of synthetic insecticides that are the most widely applied pesticides today due to its water solubility and ability to treat a wide variety of pests. Neonics are highly environmentally persistent, and may contaminate terrestrial and aquatic habitats for as much as six years. Exposed honeybees' (Apis mellifera) have been seen to have lower reproductive output, reduction in nest building or failed to build nests, reduced foraging abilities, and weakened immunity. Researchers are still trying to determine how to scientifically best restore and maintain
5264-890: The case of the sandbox tree – via explosive dehiscence or other such mechanisms (see impatiens and squirting cucumber ). A cornucopia of fruits – fleshy (simple) fruits from apples to berries to watermelon; dry (simple) fruits including beans and rice and coconuts; aggregate fruits including strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, pawpaw; and multiple fruits such as pineapple, fig, mulberries – are commercially valuable as human food. They are eaten both fresh and as jams, marmalade and other fruit preserves . They are used extensively in manufactured and processed foods (cakes, cookies, baked goods, flavorings, ice cream, yogurt, canned vegetables, frozen vegetables and meals) and beverages such as fruit juices and alcoholic beverages (brandy, fruit beer , wine). Spices like vanilla, black pepper, paprika, and allspice are derived from berries. Olive fruit
5358-582: The dagger cactus or pitaya de mayo ( S. griseus ), are also locally important foods. The fruit of the organ pipe cactus ( S. thurberi , called ool by the Seris) is the pitaya dulce "sweet pitaya". Sweet pitayas come in three types, all with leathery, slightly leafy skin: The fruit normally weighs from 150 to 600 grams ( 5 + 1 ⁄ 2 to 21 oz); some may reach 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz). Early imports from Colombia to Australia were designated " Hylocereus ocampensis " (or " Cereus repandus ",
5452-490: The decay and degradation of the fruit to expose the seeds; or it may rely upon the eating of fruit and excreting of seeds by frugivores – both are called indehiscence . Fleshy fruits do not split open, but they also are indehiscent and they may also rely on frugivores for distribution of their seeds. Typically, the entire outer layer of the ovary wall ripens into a potentially edible pericarp . Types of dry simple fruits, (with examples) include: Fruits in which part or all of
5546-774: The depth and width of the corolla, the color (including patterns called nectar guides that are visible only in ultraviolet light), the scent , amount of nectar, composition of nectar, etc. For example, birds visit red flowers with long, narrow tubes and much nectar, but are not as strongly attracted to wide flowers with little nectar and copious pollen, which are more attractive to beetles. When these characteristics are experimentally modified (altering colour, size, orientation), pollinator visitation may decline. Although non-bee pollinators have been seen to be less effective at depositing pollen than bee pollinators one study showed that non-bees made more visits than bees resulting in non-bees performing 38% of visits to crop flowers, outweighing
5640-693: The diverse pollinator habitats found around the world. Many studies conclude that restoration and conservation are key to maintaining biodiversity and pollinator populations. According to the Kansas National Park Service, native tallgrass prairie was widespread through North America and home to over 300 species of flowering plants. This habitat is crucial to wild pollinators and now only covers 4% of its original 170-million acre range. By restoring wild pollinators natural habitat and maintaining Earth's biodiversity, populations are assumed to increase. In recent times, environmental groups have put pressure on
5734-401: The edible grain-fruit is actually a seed. The outer layer, often edible, of most fruits is called the pericarp . Typically formed from the ovary, it surrounds the seeds; in some species, however, other structural tissues contribute to or form the edible portion. The pericarp may be described in three layers from outer to inner, i.e., the epicarp , mesocarp and endocarp . Fruit that bears
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#17330858544595828-489: The environment. The problem is serious and requires immediate attention to ensure the sustainability of our food production systems, avoid additional economic impact on the agricultural sector, and protect the health of the environment. Pollinator losses have been severe. The number of migrating Monarch butterflies sank to the lowest recorded population level in 2013-14, and there is an imminent risk of failed migration. The continued loss of commercial honey bee colonies poses
5922-406: The evening. They rely on nocturnal pollinators such as bats or moths for fertilization. Self-fertilization will not produce fruit in some species and while crossbreeding has resulted in several "self-fertile" varieties, cross-pollinating with a second, genetically distinct plant of the same species generally increases fruit set and quality. This limits the capability of home growers to produce
6016-477: The fleshy produce of fruits typically appeals to hungry animals, such that the seeds contained within are taken in, carried away, and later deposited (i.e., defecated ) at a distance from the parent plant. Likewise, the nutritious, oily kernels of nuts typically motivate birds and squirrels to hoard them, burying them in soil to retrieve later during the winter of scarcity; thereby, uneaten seeds are sown effectively under natural conditions to germinate and grow
6110-425: The form of a structure known as the scopa , which is on the hind legs of most bees, and/or the lower abdomen (e.g., of megachilid bees), made up of thick, plumose setae . Honey bees , bumblebees , and their relatives do not have a scopa, but the hind leg is modified into a structure called the corbicula (also known as the " pollen basket "). Most bees gather nectar , a concentrated energy source, and pollen, which
6204-405: The form of remarkably long probosces. This also applies to empidine dance flies ( Empidinae ) that visit a wide range of flowering plants, some species of which can pollinate the woodland geranium ( Geranium sylvaticum L. ) as effectively as bees . Carrion flies and flesh flies in families such as Calliphoridae and Sarcophagidae are important for some species of plants whose flowers exude
6298-462: The fruit by weight is water (87g out of 100g). One serving of 100-gram ( 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 -ounce) provides 240 kilojoules (57 kilocalories) of food energy. The USDA also reports one limited product label entry from a manufacturer of a branded product, showing that a 100-gram ( 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 -ounce) reference serving of dried pitaya provides 1,100 kilojoules (264 kilocalories) of food energy , 82% carbohydrates , 4% protein , and 11% of
6392-429: The fruit develops from a single flower, with numerous pistils. A multiple fruit is formed from a cluster of flowers, (a 'multiple' of flowers) – also called an inflorescence . Each ('smallish') flower produces a single fruitlet, which, as all develop, all merge into one mass of fruit. Examples include pineapple , fig , mulberry , Osage orange , and breadfruit . An inflorescence (a cluster) of white flowers, called
6486-586: The fruit. However, the plants can flower between three and six times per year depending on growing conditions. Like other cacti, if a healthy piece of the stem is broken off, it may take root in the soil and become its own plant. The plants can endure temperatures up to 40 °C (104 °F) and short periods of frost but will not survive long exposure to freezing temperatures. The cacti thrive most in USDA zones 10–11 but may survive outdoors in zone 9a or 9b. Selenicereus has adapted to live in dry tropical climates with
6580-444: The fruit. Other fungi known to infect pitaya include Botryosphaeria dothidea , Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Bipolaris cactivora . The fruit's texture is sometimes likened to that of the kiwifruit because of its black, crunchy seeds. The seed oil contains the fatty acids linoleic acid and linolenic acid . Dragon fruit is used to flavor and color juices and alcoholic beverages , such as "Dragon's Blood Punch" and
6674-416: The fruits develop, but they are not evolutionarily relevant as diverse plant taxa may be in the same group. While the section of a fungus that produces spores is called a fruiting body, fungi are members of the fungi kingdom and not of the plant kingdom . Simple fruits are the result of the ripening-to-fruit of a simple or compound ovary in a single flower with a single pistil . In contrast,
6768-419: The head of the branch or stem. Fruits may incorporate tissues derived from other floral parts besides the ovary, including the receptacle, hypanthium, petals, or sepals. Accessory fruits occur in all three classes of fruit development – simple, aggregate, and multiple. Accessory fruits are frequently designated by the hyphenated term showing both characters. For example, a pineapple is a multiple-accessory fruit,
6862-603: The ineffectiveness of their ability to pollinate. It has recently been discovered that cycads , which are not flowering plants , are also pollinated by insects. In 2016, researchers showed evidence of pollination occurring underwater, which was previously thought not to happen. The most recognized pollinators are the various species of bees , which are plainly adapted to pollination. Bees typically are fuzzy and carry an electrostatic charge. Both features help pollen grains adhere to their bodies, but they also have specialized pollen-carrying structures; in most bees, this takes
6956-496: The latter term meaning the fleshy part is derived not from the plant's ovaries but from the receptacle that holds the ovaries . Numerous dry achenes are attached to the outside of the fruit-flesh; they appear to be seeds but each is actually an ovary of a flower, with a seed inside. Schizocarps are dry fruits, though some appear to be fleshy. They originate from syncarpous ovaries but do not actually dehisce ; rather, they split into segments with one or more seeds. They include
7050-471: The most important commercial pollinating agents, but many other kinds of pollinators, from blue bottle flies, to bumblebees, orchard mason bees , and leaf cutter bees are cultured and sold for managed pollination . Other species of bees differ in various details of their behavior and pollen-gathering habits, and honey bees are not native to the Western Hemisphere ; all pollination of native plants in
7144-630: The most important pollinators are specialists for at least parts of their life cycles for at least certain functions. Prominent among Hymenoptera other than bees are predatory aculeate wasps (especially Crabronidae , Sphecidae , Vespidae , and Pompilidae ). The term " pollen wasps ", in particular, is widely applied to the Masarinae, a subfamily of the Vespidae; they are remarkable among solitary wasps in that they specialise in gathering pollen for feeding their larvae, carried internally and regurgitated into
7238-445: The number of fertilized ovules. The pericarp typically is differentiated into two or three distinct layers; these are called the exocarp (outer layer, also called epicarp), mesocarp (middle layer), and endocarp (inner layer). In some fruits, the sepals , petals , stamens or the style of the flower fall away as the fleshy fruit ripens. However, for simple fruits derived from an inferior ovary – i.e., one that lies below
7332-527: The nutritional needs of the brood. Good pollination management seeks to have bees in a "building" state during the bloom period of the crop, thus requiring them to gather pollen, and making them more efficient pollinators. Thus, the management techniques of a beekeeper providing pollination services are different from, and to some extent in tension with, those of a beekeeper who is trying to produce honey. Millions of hives of honey bees are contracted out as pollinators by beekeepers , and honey bees are by far
7426-473: The other; humans, and many other animals, have become dependent on fruits as a source of food. Consequently, fruits account for a substantial fraction of the world's agricultural output, and some (such as the apple and the pomegranate ) have acquired extensive cultural and symbolic meanings. In common language and culinary usage, fruit normally means the seed-associated fleshy structures (or produce) of plants that typically are sweet (or sour) and edible in
7520-437: The ovary may contribute to the structure of a fruit, it is important to understand how a particular fruit forms. There are three general modes of fruit development: Consistent with the three modes of fruit development, plant scientists have classified fruits into three main groups: simple fruits, aggregate fruits, and multiple (or composite) fruits. The groupings reflect how the ovary and other flower organs are arranged and how
7614-614: The plant hormone ethylene causes ripening . Therefore, maintaining most fruits in an efficient cold chain is optimal for post-harvest storage, with the aim of extending and ensuring shelf life. Various culinary fruits provide significant amounts of fiber and water, and many are generally high in vitamin C . An overview of numerous studies showed that fruits (e.g., whole apples or whole oranges) are satisfying (filling) by simply eating and chewing them. The dietary fiber consumed in eating fruit promotes satiety , and may help to control body weight and aid reduction of blood cholesterol ,
7708-453: The pollen by rubbing against the anthers. The pollen collects on the hind legs, in a structure referred to as a "pollen basket". As the bee flies from flower to flower, some of the pollen grains are transferred onto the stigma of other flowers. Nectar provides the energy for bee nutrition ; pollen provides the protein . When bees are rearing large quantities of brood (beekeepers say hives are "building"), bees deliberately gather pollen to meet
7802-456: The pollinating birds are hummingbirds , honeyeaters and sunbirds with long beaks; they pollinate a number of deep-throated flowers. Humans may also carry out artificial pollination . A pollinator is different from a pollenizer , a plant that is a source of pollen for the pollination process. Plants fall into pollination syndromes that reflect the type of pollinator being attracted. These are characteristics such as: overall flower size,
7896-487: The pollination of tree-crops such as cacao, Theobroma cacao L. (Malvaceae) and elderflower Sambucus nigra L. (Adoxaceae). Ants also pollinate some kinds of flowers, but for the most part they are parasites, consuming nectar and/or pollen without conveying useful amounts of pollen to a stigma. Other insect orders are rarely pollinators, and then typically only incidentally (e.g., Hemiptera such as Anthocoridae and Miridae ). A strategy of great biological interest
7990-401: The purpose of fertilization. (A female gametophyte is called a megagametophyte , and also called the embryo sac .) After double fertilization, the ovules will become seeds. Ovules are fertilized in a process that starts with pollination , which is the movement of pollen from the stamens to the stigma-style-ovary system within the flower-head. After pollination, a pollen tube grows from
8084-403: The raw state, such as apples, bananas, grapes, lemons, oranges, and strawberries. In botanical usage, the term fruit also includes many structures that are not commonly called as such in everyday language, such as nuts, bean pods, corn kernels, tomatoes, and wheat grains. Many common language terms used for fruit and seeds differ from botanical classifications. For example, in botany, a fruit
8178-471: The red fruit) and " Cereus triangularis " (supposedly, the yellow fruit or the three-sided cross-section of the stem). After a thorough cleaning of the seeds from the pulp of the fruit, the seeds may be stored when dried. The ideal fruit is unblemished and overripe. Seeds grow well in a compost or potting soil mix – even as a potted indoor plant. Pitaya cacti usually germinate after between 11 and 14 days after shallow planting. As they are cacti, overwatering
8272-421: The second most important pollinators after wild bees. Although hoverflies as a whole are generally considered to be nonselective pollinators, some species have more specialized relationships. The orchid species Epipactis veratrifolia mimics alarm pheromones of aphids to attract hover flies for pollination. Another plant, the slipper orchid in southwest China, also achieves pollination by deceit by exploiting
8366-401: The seed, and the endosperm mother cell will give rise to endosperm , a nutritive tissue used by the embryo. As the ovules develop into seeds, the ovary begins to ripen and the ovary wall, the pericarp , may become fleshy (as in berries or drupes ), or it may form a hard outer covering (as in nuts). In some multi-seeded fruits, the extent to which a fleshy structure develops is proportional to
8460-730: The store, they should not be damaged or bruised; and precut pieces should be refrigerated or surrounded by ice. All fruits and vegetables should be rinsed before eating. This recommendation also applies to produce with rinds or skins that are not eaten. It should be done just before preparing or eating to avoid premature spoilage. Fruits and vegetables should be kept separate from raw foods like meat, poultry, and seafood, as well as from utensils that have come in contact with raw foods. Fruits and vegetables that are not going to be cooked should be thrown away if they have touched raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs. All cut, peeled, or cooked fruits and vegetables should be refrigerated within two hours. After
8554-417: The term – such as strawberries and raspberries. Berries may be formed from one or more carpels (i.e., from the simple or compound ovary) from the same, single flower. Seeds typically are embedded in the fleshy interior of the ovary. Examples include: The strawberry, regardless of its appearance, is classified as a dry, not a fleshy fruit. Botanically, it is not a berry ; it is an aggregate-accessory fruit,
8648-581: The way in which pollinator communities respond to increasingly harsh conditions. Mathematical models, examining the consequences of this network structure for the stability of pollinator communities suggest that the specific way in which plant-pollinator networks are organized minimizes competition between pollinators and may even lead to strong indirect facilitation between pollinators when conditions are harsh. This allows pollinator species to survive together under harsh conditions. But it also means that pollinator species collapse simultaneously when conditions pass
8742-514: The work of animal pollinators. The quality of pollinator service has declined over time and this had led to concerns that pollination will be less resistant to extinction in the future. A 2022 study concludes that the decline of pollinator populations is responsible for 500,000 early human deaths per year by reducing the supply of healthy foods. A decline of pollinators has caused 3-5% loss of fruits, vegetables and nuts. Lower consumption of these healthy foods translates to 1% of all deaths, according to
8836-568: The world. Pitaya usually refers to fruit of the genus Stenocereus , while pitahaya or dragon fruit refers to fruit of the genus Selenicereus (formerly Hylocereus ), both in the family Cactaceae. The common name in English – dragon fruit – derives from the leather-like skin and scaly spikes on the fruit exterior. Depending on the variety, pitaya fruits may have sweet- or sour-tasting flesh that can be red, white, or yellow in color. These fruits are commonly known in English as "dragon fruit",
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