Hello Lykkers! When you think of fruit, you probably imagine something sweet, juicy, and ready to eat. But in the plant world, fruits come in many types—not all of them designed for your plate. Some are fleshy and appealing, like berries or apples. Others are dry and tough, like pods or seed capsules, yet they play equally fascinating roles in the life of plants.

In this guide, we’ll explore the two main categories of fruits—fleshy and dry—and the forms they take in nature. You’ll get to see fruits from a botanical perspective, appreciating them not only as snacks or ingredients but as clever packages for plant seeds. Ready to discover which fruits pop, split, or burst and which ones are built to be eaten and spread? Let’s dig in!

Part 1: The Juicy Side of Fruits

Let’s begin with the fruits that most people are familiar with—those that are soft, colorful, and usually edible. These are known as fleshy fruits, and they’re designed to attract animals for seed spreading.

Berries: Little Bundles of Juice

Berries are often soft all the way through and contain seeds inside. Think of tomatoes, grapes, and even bananas—yes, they’re all true berries! Each bite you take gives you both pulp and the chance to spread a seed (if you're a bird or wild animal, of course).

Next time you hold a tomato, take a moment to appreciate how nature wrapped the seeds in a moist, tasty package. It’s a plant’s way of saying, “Please carry my future far and wide.”

Drupes: Hard-Centered Gems

Drupes are fruits with a single seed protected by a hard inner layer—like cherries, peaches, and olives. You’ll find soft flesh on the outside, but bite in too far, and you hit the tough core. That’s the seed’s armor, ready for survival.

As you eat a plum or mango, you’re interacting with one of nature’s classic seed-delivery strategies. The fruit tempts with sweetness while guarding the future plant deep inside.

Pomes: Fruit with a Hidden Core

Pomes, like apples and pears, have a firm outer layer with a central core where seeds are tucked away. These fruits form from both flower and tissues, giving them their unique shape and structure.

If you’ve ever sliced open an apple and noticed the star-shaped seed chamber in the center, that’s where the real magic happens. The flesh is a bonus to help the plant get its seeds into the world.

Part 2: Fruits That Go Dry

Now let’s flip to the less juicy side of things—dry fruits. You might not always notice these as fruits, but they do an amazing job of spreading seeds, sometimes with a twist, a pop, or a glide.

Capsules: The Great Openers

Capsules are dry fruits that split open when mature, revealing multiple seeds inside. You’ve likely seen them in plants like cotton. They open naturally, letting seeds fall out or even be flung away.

Try shaking a dried pod—you’ll hear the seeds rattle. That’s a fruit doing its job without needing bright colors or soft texture.

Achenes: Small but Mighty

Achenes are tiny dry fruits with just one seed inside that doesn’t fuse to the fruit wall. Think of a sunflower "seed"—it’s actually a dry fruit with a tough shell protecting the seed inside.

When you hold a dandelion and blow on its fluff, you’re helping dozens of achenes take flight. It's a gentle moment with a smart seed delivery plan behind it.

Pods: Split and Scatter

Pods, like those in peas or beans, split along seams to release their seeds. They're dry when mature, and they often twist or pop open to scatter the contents.

Next time you open a green bean, think about how it’s not just food—it’s a clever container. Once dried, that same pod would naturally open and toss out the seeds, ensuring new plants can grow far from the parent.

So, Lykkers, the fruit world is far more than just what you find in a bowl. From the juicy berries you snack on to the tiny achenes floating on the breeze, fruits are nature’s inventive way of moving seeds around. Whether soft and sweet or crisp and dry, each one is part of a bigger plan to grow, spread, and start again. Take a closer look at the fruits around you—they’re full of surprises, purpose, and plant-powered engineering.