- Eggplants are known to be fruits. That is why you can find them in the produce section of the grocery store with other fruits like apples, oranges, grapefruits, and pineapples.
- They grow on plants but they are not formed by seeds like other fruit such as strawberries or watermelon.
- Eggplants contain no seeds. That is why people usually wonder whether it should be considered as a fruit or vegetable? It is definitely not a vegetable.
Is eggplant a berry or a fruit?
Eggplants are fruits that grow on plants. They fall into the category of berries and pomes, which possess starchy centers and seeds inside them. This means that eggplants are fruits.
Why is an eggplant not a fruit?
Eggplants are among the most popular vegetables grown today for cooking purposes because of their wide variety of uses, particularly in recipes originating from Asian countries.
People often wonder how it can be classified as a fruit even though it comes from a different plant species than actual fruits.
Plants that produce fruit are called ‘vascular plants’ because of the vascular tissue they have inside them, which is needed for reproduction purposes.
Plants that vegetables come from are known as ‘non-vascular plants’ because of the lack of the vascular tissue required to reproduce into another plant.
Do eggplants self pollinate?
Eggplants need to be pollinated in order to have a good crop of eggplant fruits. The flowers cannot produce their own pollen and this is why insects are used for the purpose of self-pollination.
Insects often take advantage of plants that require help from other organisms for reproduction purposes.
For example, bees usually get attracted to flowers because of their bright colors and sweet nectar.
What does a pollinated eggplant flower look like?
The first step that must be taken in the process of pollination is for insects to carry pollen from one plant to another plant.
Eggplants are not self-pollinating, so they need some outside help in order to produce fruits. The best way to make this take place is to plant several eggplants within close proximity of one another.
This will attract insects that will carry the pollen from one eggplant plant to another, thus pollinating it.
Do I need 2 eggplant plants?
In order for a good crop of eggplants to grow you need to plant several eggplant plants in your garden. You do not need 2 eggplants (one male and one female) as is the case with fruit trees, but it is recommended because you will be able to eat more of them during the growing season and for a longer period of time since they take longer than other types of fruits to grow.
How can you tell a male from a female eggplant?
Male and female flowers are found on different eggplant plants. Female flowers have small fruit which grows behind the flower as it matures.
That’s why there is no need to remove the seeds or pulp which surround the seed because they will also ripen into fruits, although they will be small like the flowers.
Males do not produce any fruit and they will die once their job is done.
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Is there a seedless eggplant?
There are eggplants that contain seeds and some which do not.
Eggplants grown for commercial purposes usually have no seeds in them since people don’t like to buy eggplants with seeds in them because they are difficult to peel, remove the pulp surrounding the seed, slice, or cut into pieces.
Do aubergines have genders?
Aubergines or eggplant are not hermaphrodites. They are binary, having both female and male organs on the same plant.
The male organ is called a stamen, with pollen being produced in anthers at its tip. The female part is called a pistil, which has the stigma at its tip, where the pollen settles.
Pollination is necessary in order to produce fruit from eggplants.
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Do you remove the seeds from eggplant?
Although you can eat eggplants with or without seeds, the quality of their taste and texture is enhanced when they are seedless.
Some people like to remove them while others do not. If you decide to take them out, make sure that you don’t damage the pulp surrounding the seed because this will also ripen into a fruit.
The seeds can be removed before or after cooking.
Conclusion:
Eggplant is a fruit because it has flesh surrounding its seed. Although they do not reproduce on their own, they need to be pollinated in order to produce good, tasty, and sweet fruits.
According to the definition of ‘fruit’ ( Merriam-Webster ), any plant product eaten by humans or animals, such as apples, strawberries, oranges, etc. is a fruit.
As stated in the article above, eggplant is a fruit because it has the flesh surrounding its seed. Although self-pollination is not possible, insects must carry pollen from one plant to another for pollination purposes.
Eggplants need more than one plant of their kind in order to produce good, tasty, and sweet fruits.