Seasonal fruit tree care

Fruit species groups

In German horticulture, the classification of fruits and their trees is not strictly botanical, relying rather on a system borrowed from the German fruit trade, based primarily around the fruits growing in the temperate climate zone of central Europe. The classification follows from this perspective, and is divided into groups: pomaceous (pip) fruit, stone fruits, soft fruit, nuts, tropical fruits, exotic fruits, wild fruits and fruit vegetables.

Fruit species

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Fruit varieties

Each fruit-bearing species usually contains numerous breeds, with varying appearance, size, yield, ripeness, storage and purpose.

Fruits

Technically, a ‘fruit’ is the developed ovary of a seed plant with its contents and accessory parts. If other parts of the flower are involved, such as the fleshy part of the stem (receptacle) or the blossom axis, a ‘false’ or ‘aggregate’ fruit is formed. For example, the real fruit of the apple tree is the apple core, while strawberry fruits are really the tiny nuts on the skin of the “berry”.

Plants

Fruit plants are perennial, woody shrubs, trees or vines of various sizes, usually deciduous rather than evergreen. In horticulture, to preserve the characteristics of the parent plant, they are generally propagated vegetatively, either in the form of cuttings or by joining different plants together (grafting).

Multiple (upper and lower) usage

Owing to the characteristic structure, shared by many fruit trees, of a large crown over a branchless trunk, it is often possible for an orchard to be used for more than one purpose. An orchard of loosely grouped trees can provide fruit from the upper layer, while serving at ground level as a meadow for hay production or grazing, arable land for growing vegetables or crops, or as an area for traffic (in the case of trees growing by a road).

Pomaceous (pip) fruit

Collective term for fruits with small pips surrounded by pulp. The pips are normally not consumed. Botanically they are aggregate fruits, where the core – parchment-like carpels with pips as seeds – is an apple fruit (special form of a follicetum). The edible part of the fruit is a thickened receptacle. Since the flesh is not from a carpel, but from other parts of the plants, it is a false fruit. Maloideae (Pyrinae) are a subtribe of the tribe Pyreae with belongs to the subfamily spiraeoideae of the rose family (Rosaceae). These are mostly deciduous trees or shrubs.

Stone fruits

Collective term for fruits with an inner core. This stone is a woody part of the fruit pod (pericarp). The outer part of the pericarp consists of mostly very juicy pulp and the fruit's peel. Botanically they are usually one-seeded drupes, with the seed enclosed in a woody shell. Stone fruit plants (Amygdaloideae) are a tribe of the subfamily spiraeoideae of the rose family (Rosaceae). Prunus is the only genus of this tribe. These are mostly deciduous trees or shrubs.

Soft fruit

Collective name for small, round fruits with a soft shell and in the pulp embedded seeds. Botanically they are berries and aggregate fruits. The geni and species of the soft fruit plants belong to the heather family (Ericaceae), rose family (Rosaceae), gooseberry family (Grossulariaceae) and grapevine family (Vitaceae). These are mostly deciduous shrubs, lianas or herbaceous plants.

Berries

Nuts

Collective term for fruits whose hard pericarp encloses an edible core. Botanically it refers to both nut fruits whose seed is surrounded by a woody pericarp, and the edible seeds of cores of stone fruit. The geni and species of nut plants belong to the birch family (Betulaceae), rose family (Rosaceae), the families of sumac (Anacardiaceae) and Juglandaceae. These are deciduous shrubs or trees.

Tropical fruits

The term tropical (and exotic) fruits is a customary collective term for edible fruits that do not thrive in northern climates and must be imported from southern tropical and subtropical countries. The most important plant type in it are the citrus fruits. Their internal classification is quite broad, but can be reduced to three types: citron (Citrus medica), tangerine (Citrus reticulata) and grapefruit (Citrus maxima). The fruit is a Hesperidien, a special form of berry. Their fruit body is built up in three layers and consists of a coloured peel, a whitish furry in-between-layer with species-dependent thickness (the pith) and a segmented pulp inside. Moreover, the tropical fruits include various apple fruits, drupes and aggregate fruits. Tropical fruit plants belong to the families of Ebenaceae and Actinidiaceae, the mulberry family (Moraceae), olive family (Oleaceae), rue family (Rutaceae) and rose family (Rosaceae). These are evergreen or deciduous shrubs, trees or lianas. To cultivate them in temperate climates, for the majority of such plants, winter protection is required (eg. conservatory, orangery).

Wild fruits

Collective term for the edible fruits of wild Central European fruit species which are rarely bred (if at all). There is a fluid border between these and the cultivated fruit species. Botanically this group includes berries, drupes, pome fruit, nuts, aggregate fruit, multiple fruits and cones. The geni and species of wild fruit plants belong to the families of Barberry (Berberidaceae), Fagaceae, Dogwood (Cornaceae), Adoxaceae, Elaeagnaceae, Actinidiaceae, Cupressaceae, the mulberry family (Moraceae) and rose family (Rosaceae). These are evergreen or deciduous shrubs, trees or lianas

Multiple (lower) usage