Pome

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An apple is a pome fruit. The parts of the fruit are labelled
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An apple is a pome fruit. The parts of the fruit are labelled

In botany, a pome (after the French name for an apple: pomme) is a type of fruit produced by flowering plants in the Subfamily Maloideae of the Family Rosaceae.

A pome is an accessory fruit composed of five or more carpels in which the exocarp forms an inconspicuous layer. The mesocarp is usually fleshy, and the endocarp forms a leathery case around the seed. Outside of the endocarp is the most edible part of this fruit, derived from the floral tube (torus) and other parts, which corresponds to what is commonly called the core. The shriveled remains of the sepals, style and stamens can be seen at the end of a pome opposite the stem, demonstrating that the ovary is inferior in these flowers.

The best-known example of a pome is the apple. Other examples of plants that produce fruit classified as a pome are cotoneaster, hawthorn, loquat, medlar, pear, Pyracantha, quince, rowan, and whitebeam.

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Types of fruits
Berries | Drupes | Pomes | Aggregate fruits | False berries | Accessory fruit
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