accessory fruit

botany

Also known as: pseudocarp

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Last updated

July 23, 2026

Quick Summary

An accessory fruit is a fruit where a significant portion of its structure develops from tissues other than the ripened ovary. This contrasts with typical fruits, which are solely derived from the ovary. Examples of accessory fruits include the apple, where the fleshy part comes from the hypanthium, and the strawberry, where the swollen receptacle bearing the seeds is the prominent feature. These fruits incorporate additional floral parts into their mature structure, distinguishing them from simple fruits that develop from a single ovary.123

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Job’s tears
…the seed kernels; those beadlike pseudocarps are sometimes used for jewelry and rosaries. Forms of the plant are cultivated as a cereal crop in parts of East Asia and in the Philippines, and its edible grains are sometimes marketed as Chinese pearl barley in the West. It is also grown…
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…the seed kernels; those beadlike pseudocarps are sometimes used for jewelry and rosaries. Forms of the plant are cultivated as a cereal crop in parts of East Asia and in the Philippines, and its edible grains are sometimes marketed as Chinese pearl barley in the West. It is also grown…
Read More

strawberry
Physical description
…fruit is considered an “accessory fruit” and is not a true berry. The flesh consists of the greatly enlarged flower receptacle and is embedded with the many true fruits, or achenes, which are popularly called seeds.
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…fruit is considered an “accessory fruit” and is not a true berry. The flesh consists of the greatly enlarged flower receptacle and is embedded with the many true fruits, or achenes, which are popularly called seeds.
Read More