Pome
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(March 2023) |
In botany, apomeis a type of fruit produced byflowering plantsin the subtribeMalinaeof the familyRosaceae.Pome fruits consist of a central "core" containing multiple small seeds, which is enveloped by a tough membrane and surrounded by an edible layer of flesh.[1]Pome fruit trees are deciduous, and undergo a dormant winter period that requires cold temperatures to break dormancy in spring.[1]Well-known pomes include theapple,pear,andquince.[1]
Etymology
[edit]The wordpomeentered English in the late 14th century, and referred to an apple or an apple-shaped object. It derived from theOld Frenchword for "apple":pome(12th century; modern French ispomme), which in turn derived from theLate LatinorVulgar Latinwordpoma"apple", originally the plural of Latinpomum"fruit", later "apple".[2]
Morphology
[edit]A pome is anaccessory fruitcomposed of one or morecarpelssurrounded by accessory tissue. The accessory tissue is interpreted by some specialists as an extension of thereceptacleand is then referred to as "fruit cortex",[3]and by others as a fusedhypanthium(floral cup).[3]It is the most edible part of this fruit.[citation needed]
The carpels of a pome are fused within the "core".[4]Although theepicarp,mesocarp,andendocarpof some other fruit types look very much like the skin, flesh, and core respectively of a pome, they are parts of the carpel (see above diagram). Theepicarpandmesocarpof a pome may be fleshy and difficult to distinguish from one another and from the hypanthial tissue. The endocarp forms a leathery or stony case around theseed,and corresponds to what is commonly called the core.[citation needed]
Pome-type fruit with stony rather than leatheryendocarpmay be called apolypyrenousdrupe.[5]
The shriveled remains of thesepals,styleandstamenscan sometimes be seen at the end of a pome opposite the stem, and theovaryis therefore often described asinferiorin these flowers.[citation needed]
Examples
[edit]
The best-known example of a pome is theapple.Other examples of plants that produce fruit classified as a pome areCotoneaster,Crataegus(hawthorn and mayhaw),medlar,pear,Pyracantha,quince,rowan,loquat,toyon,andwhitebeam.[citation needed]
Some pomes may have a mealy texture (e.g., some apples); others (e.g.,Amelanchier,Aronia) are berry-like with juicy flesh and a core that is not very noticeable.[citation needed]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abc"Apples, pears and other pome fruit".dpi.nsw.gov.au.2017.Retrieved2023-02-23.
- ^Harper, Douglas."Online Etymological Dictionary: entry: pome".Online Etymological Dictionary.Retrieved2 June2016.
- ^abEsau, K. 1977.Anatomy of seed plants.John Wiley and Sons, New York.
- ^Hickey, M.; King, C. (2001).The Cambridge Illustrated Glossary of Botanical Terms.Cambridge University Press.
- ^Potter, D.; Eriksson, T.; Evans, R.C.; Oh, S.; Smedmark, J.E.E.; Morgan, D.R.; Kerr, M.; Robertson, K.R.; Arsenault, M.; Dickinson, T.A.; Campbell, C.S. (2007)."Phylogeny and classification of Rosaceae".Plant Systematics and Evolution.266(1–2): 5–43.doi:10.1007/s00606-007-0539-9.S2CID16578516.
External links
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Media related toPomeat Wikimedia Commons
