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Fruit. The word conjures up mouthwatering memories of crunchy apples, luscious strawberries, sweet bananas, succulent melons and juicy pineapples. The well-travelled will also recall the splendid cornucopia of tropical fruits that thrive in the warmer climes of our planet and have now conquered supermarket shelves all over the world. A wonderful gift from nature indeed but providing us with an abundant source of food is not the main reason that plants produce such delicious fruits. We all know that many fruits are not edible and that some are even poisonous. It is therefore quite legitimate to ask what fruits are and why they exist.

As will be revealed, fruits are part of a much more elaborate plot. Their true nature is concealed in what is buried in their core: their seeds. Seeds are the most sophisticated and precious organs produced by plants in that they bear the next generation. Fruits and seeds together are responsible for the successful reproduction and dispersal of the species. The key role that fruits and seeds play in the survival of each species explains the manifold dispersal strategies that plants have developed during the course of their evolution. The strategies they pursue, whether they involve wind, water, humans and animals or the plant's own explosive triggers, are reflected in a plethora of different colours, sizes and shapes. Some are edible, some inedible, and many quite incredible!