Difference Between Aggregate Fruit and Multiple Fruit

The key difference between aggregate fruit and multiple fruit is that the aggregate fruit is a fruit resulting from the apocarpous gynoecium of a single flower, while the multiple fruit is a fruit resulting from gynoecia of several flowers of an inflorescence.

The flower is the reproductive structure of flowering plants. It facilitates sexual reproduction. There are different parts of a flower. After fertilization, ovaries mature into fruits. Fertilized ovules become seeds. Therefore, fruits originate from flowers. There are different types of fruits. Aggregate fruits and multiple fruits are two types among them; these are multi-ovary fruits. Aggregate fruit originates from a single flower that had several free pistils. In contrast, multiple fruits originate from inflorescence that has many individual flowers.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is an Aggregate Fruit 
3. What is a Multiple Fruit
4. Similarities Between Aggregate Fruit and Multiple Fruit
5. Side by Side Comparison – Aggregate Fruit vs Multiple Fruit in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is an Aggregate Fruit?

Aggregate fruit is a fruit derived from a single flower with many pistils. Therefore, aggregate fruits are clusters of small fruits. Each small fruit derives originates a separate carpel of the flower. In order to produce an aggregate fruit, the flower should possess an apocarpous ovary. Hence, the flower has multiple pistils having separate ovaries.

Moreover, each fruitlet of the aggregate flower is arranged on one receptacle. Sometimes, they fuse to form a single fruit. Blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, peanuts, pea, and lemon are several plants that produce aggregate fruits.

What is a Multiple Fruit?

Multiple fruit or the composite fruit is a fruit that is derived from an inflorescence. Thus, multiple fruit is a fruit that results from the gynoecia of many flowers in an inflorescence. That is; each little fruit of the multiple fruit originates from the separate flowers of the inflorescence.

Generally, in a multiple fruit, small fruits are tightly bunched together. Pineapple, figs, mulberry and orange are several examples for multiple fruits.

What are the Similarities Between Aggregate Fruit and Multiple Fruit?

• Angiosperms produce these aggregate and multiple fruits.
• Both aggregate fruit and multiple fruit originate from multiple ovaries, so they are two multi-ovary fruit types.
• They appear as clusters of fruits.
• Moreover, they can appear in identical forms.

What is the Difference Between Aggregate Fruit and Multiple Fruit?

Aggregate fruit is a fruit that originated from a single flower with multiple free carpels. In contrast, multiple fruit is a fruit originated from tightly bunched many flowers of an inflorescence. So, this is the key difference between aggregate fruit and multiple fruit.

Moreover, aggregate fruit develops from one apocarpous gynoecium while the multiple fruit develops from gynoecia of many flowers of an inflorescence. Therefore, this is also a difference between aggregate fruit and multiple fruit. Blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, pea, lemon and peanut are several examples of aggregate fruits while pineapple, figs, orange and mulberry are several examples of multiple fruits.

The following infographic summarizes the difference between aggregate fruit and multiple fruit in more detail.

Summary – Aggregate Fruit vs Multiple Fruit

Aggregate and multiple fruits are two types of fruits derived from multiple ovaries. Aggregate fruit develops from many free carpels of a single flower. On the other hand, multiple fruit develops from many single flowers of an inflorescence. So, this is the key difference between aggregate fruit and multiple fruit. In other words, the aggregate fruit originates from one apocarpous gynoecium, while the multiple fruit originates from many gynoecia of florets of an inflorescence.

Reference:

1. “Aggregate Fruit: Definition & Examples Video.” Study.com, Available here.
2. “Fruit.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 18 July 2019, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Broussonetia papyrifera-fruits” (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “PineApple grown from Kerala” (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Flickr