Everything about Achenes totally explained
An
achene is a type of simple dry
fruit produced by many species of
flowering plants. Achenes are "monocarpellate" (formed from one
carpel) and (they don't open at maturity). Achenes contain a single
seed that nearly fills the
pericarp, but doesn't adhere to it. In many species, what we think of as the "seed" is actually an achene, a fruit containing the seed.
Examples
Typical achenes are the fruits of
buttercup,
buckwheat, and
dandelion. It is sometimes spelled "akene", and occasionally called "achenium" or "achenocarp."
The most familiar achenes are those of the
strawberry, where the "seeds" are the achenes (technically the 'botanical' fruits), while what is eaten as the ('culinary') fruit is a so-called
accessory fruit.
Fruits of
sedges are sometimes considered achenes because they've a one-locule compound ovary. By the same definition, the common fruit type in the Family
Asteraceae is also usually considered
achene (some term the asteraceous achene
cypsela, however). A
sunflower "seed" in the husk isn't really a seed, but an achene. The white-gray husks are the walls of the fruit.
Variations
A winged achene, such as in
maple, is called a
samara.
A
rose also produces achenes, which are nestled inside the rose hips (each rose hip, or the fruit, holds a few achenes).
A
grain, a type of fruit closely resembling an achene, differs in that the pericarp is fused to the thin seed coat in the grain.
A
utricle is like an achene, but it has a compound ovary, rather than a simple one. In addition, its fruit ovary becomes bladdery or corky.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Achenes'.
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