Why are raspberries made up of fruit bundles containing one seed per fruit mass?

Question

Why is it that raspberries are made up of several fruit masses with one seed per mass, while strawberries are made up of one solid fruit mass with seeds lining the outer part of the fruit? There must be a logical reason to why they have evolved this way. Do they need to distribute their seeds in a certain way, hence the different structure they have evolved? Or have they simply evolved completely seperately with no common host?

Answer 1

Raspberry and strawberry are from the same family Rosaceae. Therefore; there must be certain common features between them.

In both of them a single flower has many free carpels . each on of them turns in to a tiny fruit-let having even tinier seed inside .

In the links below you will be able to see a swollen stalk of a single flower with four free carpels on the top.
http://www.agri.ubu.ac.th/kitti/images/simple.jpg
http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/webb/Bot201/Angiosperm/MagnoliophytaLab99/ApocarpousGynoLab.jpg

Each carpel has an ovary at the base that contains ovule and after fertilization the ovary turns in to a fruit and the ovules in to seeds. One flower but many fruits so Aggregate fruit!!


Main function of fruit is to protect and disperse the seeds so that they get chance ( or even better chance to survive and flourish ).

Since plants are rooted to the soil; they employ agents to bring about dispersal of seeds/fruits. In return they are offered some enticement if the agents are animals or birds.

Thus, both the plants in question develop edible fruits.

1) In Raspberry there are several edible fruit masses. Each fruit has a seed. All of them may not get a chance to germinate; But a few will sure to accomplish it.

http://www.flameia.com/dtop/photos/raspberry-1600.jpg

2) In strawberry, it is the base of the flower (Call it a stalk if you like) that gets highly enlarged and edible to attract the agents . Fruits are the tiny ‘pips’ on its surface (Here again they are numerous like Raspberry !!). The seeds are INSIDE the ‘pips’.
http://www.yesconsultancy.com/Client%20pics/AVA/AVA%20Strawberry%2011.jpg

If you enlarge the picture on the strawberry link above ; you will notice simlarities between the pips and the carpels in the very first link at the top.


In human society migration to seek greener pastures is a common phenomenon. Animals and birds also do migration to seek better conditions. Plants are non-motile so they employ agents.

Answer 2

Let me see if I can remember this...

There are different types of fruits. Depending on the flower structure, flower arrangement or inflorescence, and how many pistils it has in one flower are all important as to how the fruit will turn out.

As to your question... raspberry is a type of aggregate fruit (not "berry" at all; an ex of berry is a tomato. Isn't it weird.) It has many pistils or carpels. Strawberry is also an aggregate fruit, specifically an achene. The seeds that you see outside the strawberry are actually the ovaries.

apple - a pome
cherry - a drupe
pineapple - a multiple fruit
banana - a false berry

Answer 3

Hi seedless grapes, cucumber, thats about it lol, I hate anything that has seeds or pips, but I like apples etc, as you can take the pips out, some oranges are dont have pips in either, I dont like strawberries or anything that is gritty, so I know how your friend feel, most vegetables dont have seed or pip I just dont like the taste of most veggies lol

Answer 4

fruit structure is derived from floral structure