Aggregate fruit

/ˈæɡrɪɡət fruːt/ noun

Definition

A fruit that develops from multiple separate carpels within a single flower, where each carpel becomes an individual fruitlet but they remain clustered together. Raspberries and blackberries are familiar examples.

Etymology

From Latin 'aggregatus' meaning 'gathered together' + 'fructus' (fruit). The term emerged in botanical classification systems of the 19th century to distinguish fruits formed from multiple carpels in one flower from those formed from multiple flowers.

Kelly Says

What we call a raspberry is actually dozens of tiny fruits (drupelets) clustered together like a biological apartment complex! Each little bump on a raspberry contains its own seed and developed from a separate carpel in the original flower - it's many fruits masquerading as one.

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