LEARN ABOUT SALMON IN THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF WORLD OF WONDER

SUNDAY, JUNE 22, 2014

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By definition, all fruits are produced by flowering trees or plants that produce a seed. By

this definition, nuts and tomatoes are fruits. Today’s page focuses on some of the most popular edible fruits

grown on farms. Horticulturists (plant scientists) classify these fruits into three groups based on the climates where they grow best.

SOURCES: World Book Encyclopedia, World Book Inc.; http://www.faculty.ucr.edu; www.fruitsinfo.com; www.kidsandfruit.org

FRUITBy Laurie Triefeldt

Apples have been en-joyed by humans since prehistoric times. There are thousands of variet-ies, with skin colors that range from red to green and yellow. Some are sweet, while others are tart.

Subtropical fruitsSubtropical fruits require mild temperatures throughout the year, but can survive a light frost.

Temperate fruitsTemperate fruits require an annual cold season.Temperate means moderate, and geographic temperate zones lie between the subtropics and the polar circles.

Durian (pronounced DOO-ree-un) is native to Southeast Asia. Typically eaten fresh, this fruit has sweet flesh and a very strong odor. In the wild, durian trees grow more than 100 feet (30 m) tall, but cultivated trees are usually trimmed to a height of 30 to 60 feet (9 to 18 m).

Peaches have a fuzzy, yellow to reddish skin, with soft or firm flesh and a hard pit. The earliest peaches were native to China, but today, the U.S. is one of the world’s largest peach growers.

There are hun-dreds of variet-

ies of pear. People have grown pears

for more than 7,000 years.

Plums have a thin, purple skin, juicy flesh and a hard pit. Some plums can be dried to make prunes. California produces more plums than all the other U.S. states combined. In Can-ada, British Columbia and Ontario are the leading plum-growing provinces.

Raspberries grow on a thorny bush in cooler climates. Each berry consists of a cluster of cells, called drupelets, that look like tiny beads.

Kiwi fruit has brown, fuzzy skin and green pulp with small, black seeds. It grows on vines and does best in milder climates.

Ripe blueberries range in color from light blue to black and have a waxy, powdery-gray coating. Blueberry shrubs grow wild in many parts of the world and do best in acidic soil.

The edible banana is the result of crossbreeding two wild, ined-

ible species. Bananas grow best in rich, sandy soil with

good drainage. Native to Asia, they are now raised in tropical

regions around the world.

The pineapple is not a single fruit, but a group of berries that have fused to-gether or coalesced. Its skin has thick, hard, sharp, leaflike structures called floral bracts. The flesh is sweet and juicy, while the core is quite tough. Pineapples grow best in well-drained soil and are native to South America. The Smooth Cayenne is the most pop-ular species of cultivated pineapple.

Tropical fruitsTropical climates have plenty of rainfall, high humidity and no distinct seasons, with warm temperatures throughout the year. Tropical fruits cannot tolerate frost.

Carambola is also known as star fruit because that is what it looks like when sliced. It has been cultivated in India and Southeast Asia for hun-dreds of years. Its firm, juicy flesh has been compared to the texture of grapes. The entire fruit, including the skin, is edible.

The papaya is native to tropical regions of North and South America, but has been cultivated in other lands. It grows on thin, hollow-branched plants that reach heights of 25 feet (8 m) or more.

The papaya is sometimes called the fruit of angels.

Limes grow on small trees, about 10 to 12 feet (3 to

3.7 m) tall. Native to Southeast Asia, they

now grow in many subtropical regions,

including Florida.Like all citrus fruits, lemons are high in vitamin C. These fragrant, tart fruits grow on trees that reach heights of 22 to 25 feet (6.7 to 7.6 m).Lemon juice is very acidic and is sometimes used as a bleaching agent.

Oranges have been grown

since ancient times and

originated in Southeast

Asia.Today,

Brazil is the leading

orange- producing

nation in the world.

Olives are native to the Mediterranean region and have been cultivated for their fruit and oil since prehistoric times. As the fruit matures, it turns from green to yellow to red to purple-black. Some olive trees in the Middle East are thought to be more than 2,000 years old.

The strawberry is the only fruit that grows its seeds on the

outside.

Apple trees are related to roses.

Avocados grow in tropical and subtropical climates. This highly nutritious fruit has yellow-green pulp and a large pit. Avocado trees grow to 30 to 60 feet (9 to 18 m) tall.