Why Apple and Cashew are not called True Fruits?

Apple and cashews are not considered true fruits because their edible parts are not completely derived from the ovary of the flower. In botanical terms, a true fruit develops from the fertilized ovary of a flower and contains seeds.

Apples are classified as accessory or false fruits. The edible portion of an apple is primarily derived from the hypanthium, the floral structure surrounding the ovary, rather than the ovary itself. The actual ovary is embedded within the core of the apple, which contains the seeds.

Cashews also differ from true fruits. The cashew apple, which is the fleshy part commonly consumed, is an accessory fruit. It develops from the pedicel, the stem that supports the flower. The true fruit of the cashew is the hard, kidney-shaped drupe attached to the end of the cashew apple. This drupe contains the cashew seed, which is commonly referred to as a nut but is botanically a seed.

Both examples show the classification of fruits depends on which parts of the flower contribute to the structure of the mature fruit. True fruits develop directly from the ovary, while accessory fruits involve additional floral parts.

Relevant Links:

• Morphology of Flower
• Fruits
• Difference between Fruit and Vegetables
• Gynoecium