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66-698: A plum is a fruit of some species in Prunus subg. Prunus . Dried plums are often called prunes , though in the United States they may be labeled as 'dried plums', especially during the 21st century. Plums are likely to have been one of the first fruits domesticated by humans, with origins in East European and Caucasian mountains and China . They were brought to Britain from Asia, and their cultivation has been documented in Andalusia , southern Spain . Plums are
132-539: A raspberry ), each individual is termed a drupelet , and may together form an aggregate fruit. Such fruits are often termed berries , although botanists use a different definition of berry . Other fleshy fruits may have a stony enclosure that comes from the seed coat surrounding the seed, but such fruits are not drupes. Flowering plants that produce drupes include coffee , jujube , mango , olive , most palms (including açaí , date , sabal and oil palms ), pistachio , white sapote , cashew , and all members of
198-561: 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
264-450: 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
330-421: A certain time, harmful bacteria may grow on them and increase the risk of foodborne illness. Drupe In botany , a drupe (or stone fruit ) is a type of fruit in which an outer fleshy part ( exocarp , or skin, and mesocarp , or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the pip (UK), pit (US), stone , or pyrena ) of hardened endocarp with a seed ( kernel ) inside. Drupes do not split open to release
396-415: A cider-like alcoholic beverage known as plum jerkum is made from plums. Dried, salted plums are used as a snack, sometimes known as saladito or salao . Various flavors of dried plum are available at Chinese grocers and specialty stores worldwide. They tend to be much drier than the standard prune. Cream, ginseng , spicy, and salty are among the common varieties. Licorice is generally used to intensify
462-710: A distinct subgenus by some authors In certain parts of the world, some fruits are called plums and are quite different from fruits known as plums in Europe or the Americas. For example, marian plums are popular in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, otherwise also known as gandaria , plum mango , ma-praang , ma-yong , ramania , kundang , rembunia or setar . Another example is the loquat , also known as Japanese plum and Japanese medlar, as well as nispero , bibassier and wollmispel elsewhere. In South Asia and Southeast Asia, Jambul ,
528-513: A diverse group of species, with trees reaching a height of 5–6 metres (16–20 ft) when pruned. The fruit is a drupe , with a firm and juicy flesh. China is the largest producer of plums, followed by Romania and Serbia . Japanese or Chinese plums dominate the fresh fruit market, while European plums are also common in some regions. Plums can be eaten fresh, dried to make prunes, used in jams , or fermented into wine and distilled into brandy . Plum kernels contain cyanogenic glycosides , but
594-478: A drupe having a stone which cannot be easily removed from the flesh. The flesh is attached strongly to the stone and must be cut to free the stone. Clingstone varieties of fruits in the genus Prunus are preferred as table fruit and for jams, because the flesh of clingstone fruits tends to be more tender and juicy throughout. Tryma is a specialized term for such nut -like drupes that are difficult to categorize. Hickory nuts ( Carya ) and walnuts ( Juglans ) in
660-430: A fruit from tropical tree in family Myrtaceae , is similarly sometimes referred to 'damson plums', and it is different from damson plums found in Europe and Americas. Jambul is also called as Java plum , Malabar plum , Jaman , Jamun , Jamblang , Jiwat , Salam , Duhat , Koeli , Jambuláo or Koriang . Fruit In botany , a fruit is the seed -bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that
726-518: 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
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#1732876737235792-432: A loanword from an unknown language of Asia Minor . In the late 18th century, the word plum was used to indicate "something sweet or agreeable", probably in reference to tasty fruit pieces in desserts , as in the word sugar-plum. Plums are a diverse group of species. The commercially important plum trees are medium-sized, usually pruned to 5–6 metres (16–20 ft) height. The tree is of medium hardiness. Without pruning,
858-434: A natural waxy surface that adheres to the flesh. The plum is a drupe , meaning its fleshy fruit surrounds a single hard fruitstone which encloses the fruit's seed. Japanese or Chinese plums are large and juicy with a long shelf life and therefore dominate the fresh fruit market. They are usually clingstone and not suitable for making prunes. They are cultivars of Prunus salicina or its hybrids. The cultivars developed in
924-644: 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
990-680: 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
1056-442: 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
1122-532: A single flower whose pistil is made up of a number of free carpels. However, mulberries , which closely resemble blackberries, are not aggregate fruit, but are multiple fruits , actually derived from bunches of catkins , each drupelet thus belonging to a different flower. Certain drupes occur in large clusters, as in the case of palm species, where a large array of drupes is found in a cluster. Examples of such large drupe clusters include dates , Jubaea chilensis in central Chile and Washingtonia filifera in
1188-404: 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
1254-498: 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 the raw state, such as apples, bananas, grapes, lemons, oranges, and strawberries. In botanical usage,
1320-859: 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
1386-462: Is also a drupe, but the mesocarp is fibrous or dry (termed a husk ), so this type of fruit is classified as a simple dry, fibrous drupe. Unlike other drupes, the coconut seed is so large that it is unlikely to be dispersed by being swallowed by fauna , but it can float extremely long distances—across oceans. Bramble fruits such as the blackberry and the raspberry are aggregates of drupelets. The fruit of blackberries and raspberries comes from
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#17328767372351452-463: Is also widely cultivated. In Russia, apart from these three commonly cultivated species, there are also many cultivars resulting from hybridization between Japanese plum and myrobalan plum, known as Russian plum ( Prunus × rossica ). When it flowers in the early spring, a plum tree will be covered in blossoms , and in a good year approximately 50% of the flowers will be pollinated and become plums. Flowering starts after 80 growing degree days . If
1518-418: 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 the other; humans, and many other animals, have become dependent on fruits as
1584-417: 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
1650-523: Is often swallowed, passing through the digestive tract , and returned to the soil in feces with the seed inside unharmed. This passage through the digestive tract can reduce the thickness of the endocarp, thus can aid in germination rates. The process is known as scarification . Typical drupes include apricots , olives , loquat , peaches , plums , cherries , mangoes , pecans , and amlas (Indian gooseberries). Other examples include sloe ( Prunus spinosa ) and ivy ( Hedera helix ). The coconut
1716-810: 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,
1782-521: Is recorded in medieval monasteries in England. A garden with 'ploumes' and 'bulaces' is referred to by Chaucer. The cultivation of plums increased during the 17th and 18th centuries. During this period greengages were given their English name and the Mirabelle plum became firmly established. Advances in the development of new varieties in England were made by Thomas Rivers . Two examples of River's work are
1848-522: 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
1914-505: 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
1980-465: The Juglandaceae family grow within an outer husk; these fruits are technically drupes or drupaceous nuts, thus are not true botanical nuts . Many drupes, with their sweet, fleshy outer layer, attract the attention of animals as a food , and the plant population benefits from the resulting dispersal of its seeds . The endocarp (pit or stone) is sometimes dropped after the fleshy part is eaten, but
2046-417: The avocado , as a drupe, others describe avocado fruit as a berry. One definition of berry requires the endocarp to be less than 2 mm ( 3 ⁄ 32 in) thick, other fruits with a stony endocarp being drupes. In marginal cases, terms such as drupaceous or drupe-like may be used. The term stone fruit (also stonefruit ) can be a synonym for drupe or, more typically, it can mean just
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2112-603: 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,
2178-434: 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,
2244-412: 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
2310-561: The US are mostly hybrids of P. salicina with P. simonii and P. cerasifera . Although these cultivars are often called Japanese plums, two of the three parents ( P. salicina and P. simonii ) originated from China and one ( P. cerasifera ) from Eurasia. In some parts of Europe, European plum ( Prunus domestica ) is also common in fresh fruit market. It has both dessert (eating) or culinary (cooking) cultivars , which include: In West Asia, myrobalan plum or cherry plum ( Prunus cerasifera )
2376-408: 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
2442-890: 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
2508-490: 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
2574-401: 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
2640-462: The flavor of these plums and is used to make salty plum drinks and toppings for shaved ice or baobing . Pickled plums are another type of preserve available in Asia and international specialty stores. The Japanese variety, called umeboshi , is often used for rice balls, called onigiri or omusubi . The ume , from which umeboshi are made, is more closely related, however, to the apricot than to
2706-477: 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
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2772-429: 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
2838-517: The fruit of the genus Prunus . Freestone refers to a drupe having a stone which can be removed from the flesh with ease. The flesh is not attached to the stone and does not need to be cut to free the stone. Freestone varieties of fruits are preferred for uses that require careful removal of the stone, especially if removal will be done by hand. Freestone plums are preferred for making homegrown prunes , and freestone sour cherries are preferred for making pies and cherry soup . Clingstone refers to
2904-415: The fruit will no longer be edible. Plum is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera , including November moth , willow beauty and short-cloaked moth . The taste of the plum fruit ranges from sweet to tart; the skin itself may be particularly tart. It is juicy and can be eaten fresh or used in jam -making or other recipes. Plum juice can be fermented into plum wine . In central England,
2970-416: 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,
3036-417: The genus Prunus , including the almond , apricot , cherry , damson , peach , nectarine , and plum . The term drupaceous is applied to a fruit having the structure and texture of a drupe, but which does not precisely fit the definition of a drupe. The boundary between a drupe and a berry is not always clear. Thus, some sources describe the fruit of species from the genus Persea , which includes
3102-419: 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,
3168-726: The hexaploid European plum ( Prunus domestica ) and the diploid Japanese plum ( Prunus salicina and hybrids), are of worldwide commercial significance. The origin of P. domestica is uncertain but may have involved P. cerasifera and possibly P. spinosa as ancestors. Other species of plum variously originated in Europe, Asia and America. Sect. Prunus ( Old World plums) – leaves in bud rolled inwards; flowers 1–3 together; fruit smooth, often wax-bloomed Sect. Prunocerasus ( New World plums) – leaves in bud folded inwards; flowers 3–5 together; fruit smooth, often wax-bloomed Sect. Armeniaca ( apricots ) – leaves in bud rolled inwards; flowers very short-stalked; fruit velvety; treated as
3234-496: 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
3300-445: 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
3366-411: The oil made from them is not commercially available. In terms of nutrition , raw plums are 87% water, 11% carbohydrates , 1% protein, and less than 1% fat. They are a moderate source of vitamin C but do not contain significant amounts of other micronutrients . Plums are likely to have been one of the first fruits domesticated by humans. Three of the most abundantly cultivated species are not found in
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#17328767372353432-437: 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
3498-614: 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 ,
3564-521: The plum production is used to create a similar brandy, called țuică . As with many other members of the rose family , plum kernels contain cyanogenic glycosides , including amygdalin . Prune kernel oil is made from the fleshy inner part of the pit of the plum. Though not available commercially, the wood of plum trees is used by hobbyists and other private woodworkers for musical instruments, knife handles, inlays, and similar small projects. In 2019, global production of plums (data combined with sloes )
3630-623: The plum. In the Balkans , plum is converted into an alcoholic drink named slivovitz (plum brandy, called in Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin or Serbian šljivovica ). A large number of plums, of the Damson variety, are also grown in Hungary, where they are called szilva and are used to make lekvar (a plum paste jam), palinka (traditional fruit brandy), plum dumplings, and other foods. In Romania, 80% of
3696-401: 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
3762-401: 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
3828-401: The seed, i.e., they are indehiscent . These fruits usually develop from a single carpel , and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries ( polypyrenous drupes are exceptions). The definitive characteristic of a drupe is that the hard, woody ( lignified ) stone is derived from the ovary wall of the flower . In an aggregate fruit , which is composed of small, individual drupes (such as
3894-730: 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
3960-414: 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 is a ripened ovary or carpel that contains seeds, e.g., an orange, pomegranate, tomato or a pumpkin. A nut
4026-417: 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,
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#17328767372354092-518: The trees can reach 12 metres (39 ft) in height and spread across 10 metres (33 ft). They blossom in different months in different parts of the world; for example, in about January in Taiwan and early April in the United Kingdom. Fruits are usually of medium size, between 2–7 centimetres (0.79–2.76 in) in diameter, globose to oval. The flesh is firm and juicy. The fruit's peel is smooth, with
4158-469: The varieties Early Rivers and Czar. Both are still esteemed. The fame of the Victoria plum , first sold in 1844, has been put down to good marketing rather than any inherent quality. The name plum derived from Old English plume "plum, plum tree", borrowed from Germanic or Middle Dutch , derived from Latin prūnum and ultimately from Ancient Greek προῦμνον proumnon , itself believed to be
4224-400: The weather is too dry, the plums will not develop past a certain stage, but will fall from the tree while still tiny, green buds, and if it is unseasonably wet or if the plums are not harvested as soon as they are ripe, the fruit may develop a fungal condition called brown rot . Brown rot is not toxic, and some affected areas can be cut out of the fruit, but unless the rot is caught immediately,
4290-752: The wild, only around human settlements: Prunus domestica has been traced to East European and Caucasian mountains, while Prunus salicina and Prunus simonii originated in China. Plum remains have been found in Neolithic age archaeological sites along with olives, grapes and figs. According to Ken Albala , plums originated in Iran . They were brought to Britain from Asia. An article on plum tree cultivation in Andalusia (southern Spain) appears in Ibn al-'Awwam 's 12th-century agricultural work, Book on Agriculture . Plum cultivation
4356-737: Was 12.6 million tonnes , led by China with 56% of the world total (table). Romania and Serbia were secondary producers. Raw plums are 87% water, 11% carbohydrates , 1% protein , and less than 1% fat (table). In a 100-gram ( 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 -ounce) reference serving, raw plums supply 192 kilojoules (46 kilocalories) of food energy and are a moderate source only of vitamin C (12% Daily Value ), with no other micronutrients in significant content (table). The numerous species of Prunus subg. Prunus are classified into many sections, but not all of them are called plums. Plums include species of sect. Prunus and sect. Prunocerasus , as well as P. mume of sect. Armeniaca . Only two plum species,
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