From Seed to Seed:
Plant Science for K-8 Educators

Seeds and Fruit

Successful pollination and fertilization transform the ovule into a tiny embryo and nourishing endosperm tissue. This little package-ovule with embryo and endosperm-is now called a seed. As the seed ripens, the embryo matures. Eventually the seed develops a hard, protective seed coat.

As we have just learned, the transformation from ovule to seed takes place within the ovary. At the same time, the ovary also begins to enlarge, eventually developing into a fruit. Botanically speaking, a fruit is a mature ovary; it is a vessel containing and protecting the plant's developing seeds.

Fruits come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Some fruits dry and break open, releasing the mature seeds. Examples of this are bean and poppy. Or the fruit may enlarge and develop into familiar fleshy fruits like plum and tomato.

Tomatoes are fruits?! In actuality, many common vegetables are technically fruits-examples include not only tomato, but pepper, eggplant, squash, bean, and peapod. What does it mean to technically be a fruit? There are two ways to answer this question. In common usage, vegetables are the foods that are usually eaten in the main course of a meal, whereas fruits are used as desserts and in sweetened treats. Of course this isn't a precise definition-there are carrot cakes and apples pair nicely with cabbage for a healthful salad.

Again, although humans gain much pleasure from eating the fruits of a plant's labor, this was not the purpose for which fruits were intended. Plants produce fruits in various forms to disperse their seeds. Consider the fruit to be the suitcase that will carry the seeds to a new destination. Before we consider the final stage of the life cycle-seed dispersal-let's take a moment to consider asexual reproduction. Then, symbolically, we will end this part of the course with a discussion on seed dispersal.

Would you like to know more?
Additional Online Resources

• United States Department of Agriculture: Science 4 Kids-Agricultural ideas for science fair projects, including experiments on seeds, fruit ripening, nutrition and microorganisms.
  www.ars.usda.gov/is/kids/fair/ideasframe.htm

Relevant Books
K-4
dePaola, Tomie. 1996. The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush. Scott Foresman Publishing. ISBN: 0-6981-1360-8.

Heller, Ruth. 1983. The Reason for a Flower. Stern Sloan Publishing. ISBN: 0-4481-4495-6.

Kellogg, Steven. 1988. Johnny Appleseed. William Morrow & Company. ISBN: 0-6880-6417-5.

Pallotta, Jerry. 1989. The Flower Alphabet Book. Charlesbridge Publishing. ISBN: 0-8810-6459-9.

Parks, Tom. 1993. The Promise of the Faraway Flower. Kendall/Hunt Publishing. ASIN: 0-8403-8780-6.