什麼是果實

顯花植物中的子房發育而成的器官，肉質或乾燥，內含種子。果實是一個嚴格的植物學定義，因此，杏、香蕉、葡萄，以及豆莢、穀粒、番茄、黃瓜、帶殼的橡樹子、扁桃等都是果實。但按通俗的說法，英語中fruit一詞僅指從子房發育成的味甜肉質的器官（水果）。果實主要的植物學目的是保護並散步種子。果實可分爲兩大類，肉果包括：漿果，如番茄、柑、櫻桃等，全部果皮及附屬部分均爲肉質；聚合果，如黑莓、草莓等，由一朵花內的許多雌蕊發育而成，每枝雌蕊發育爲一個小果；聚花果，如菠蘿、桑，由整個花序中各花的子房發育而成。乾果包括莢果、穎果、蒴果、堅果等。果實是纖維素和維生素（尤其是維生素C）最重要的來源。果實可以鮮吃；可制果汁、果醬及果凍；或以脫水、罐裝、速凍及醃漬貯藏。

fruit

In its strict botanical sense, the fleshy or dry ripened ovary (enlarged portion of the pistil) of a flowering plant, enclosing the seed or seeds. Apricots, bananas, and grapes, as well as bean pods, corn grains, tomatoes, cucumbers, and (in their shells) acorns and almonds, are all technically fruits. Popularly, the term is restricted to the ripened ovaries that are sweet and either succulent or pulpy. The principal botanical purpose of the fruit is to protect and spread the seed. There are two broad categories of fruit: fleshy and dry. Fleshy fruits include berries, such as tomatoes, oranges, and cherries, which consist entirely of succulent tissue; aggregate fruits, including blackberries and strawberries, which form from a single flower with many pistils, each of which develops into fruitlets; and multiple fruits, such as pineapples and mulberries, which develop from the mature ovaries of an entire inflorescence. Dry fruits include the legumes, cereal grains, capsules, and nuts. Fruits are important sources of dietary fiber and vitamins (especially vitamin C). They can be eaten fresh; processed into juices, jams, and jellies; or preserved by dehydration, canning, fermentation, and pickling.