Fruits with pips or stone fruits: what are the differences?

Here is a concise explanation in British English: - Fruits à noyaux - Translation idea: stone fruits (also known as drupes in botanical terms). - What it means: fruits that contain a single hard seed encased in a hard inner layer, the “stone” (noyau). - Examples: peach, nectarine, plum, cherry, apricot. Olives are also considered stone fruits (a drupe). - How it helps in gardening/culinary contexts: these fruits have one large seed and a distinct stone inside, which affects how you prune, propagate, and sometimes how you process the fruit. - Fruits à pépins - Translation idea: seeded fruits (often described as fruits with pips). - What it means: fruits that contain multiple seeds or small seeds (pips) dispersed within the flesh or on the surface. - Examples: apple, pear, grape, melon (cantaloupe), citrus fruits (orange, lemon), kiwifruit. Note that in some cases, seeds may be on the outside (as with strawberries), but they are still considered fruits with seeds. - How it helps in gardening/culinary contexts: these fruits typically have many seeds or smaller seeds rather than a single stone, which influences seed collection and propagation strategies. Glossary notes (as used in translations) - noyau → stone - pépin → pip (plural pips) - When translating into natural British English, use stone for noyau and pip/pips for pépin, depending on singular/plural. If you’d like, I can convert this into a short WordPress-friendly blurb with an example paragraph and bullet points for a post.

In botany, what we call a “fruit” is the plant organ that develops after fertilisation of a flower and that encloses one or more seeds. These seeds may then exist in the form of pips or a stone.

Fruits with seeds

Fruits with seeds are characterised by their unique internal structure. These fruits arise from the transformation of one or more ovules of the flower into seeds, surrounded by edible flesh. The peculiarity of fruits with seeds that, botanically, we should name “berries”, lies in their compartmentalised core, containing one or more pips. These pips, or seeds, are coated with a protective layer and nestled within the pulp. The pip is considered a naked seed (envelope not rigid) while the stone has a hard lignified envelope (the principal component of wood). The pip can be very large and solitary, as is the case for the avocado (yes, botanically speaking, the avocado is a large berry with a single pip!).

Apple, avocado and pomegranate: they contain pips

Stone fruits

Conversely, stone fruits (or drupes), are distinguished by their single and large central stone. This hard stone is surrounded by flesh that is typically juicy and tasty. The stone is the central hard part, in lignin, which contains the seed or almond. The stone thus comprises two parts: the sclerified envelope which results from the transformation of the inner epidermis of the ovary or endocarp, and the almond or seed, which lies inside the stone, resulting from the transformation of the ovule after fertilisation.

Peaches, apricots and lychee contain a stone in their centre

Why are there seeds in fruit?

The evolution of these fruits is closely linked to the need to attract animals for seed dispersal.

The pips are surrounded by a juicy, sweet flesh that attracts animals. When an animal eats the fruit, it disperses the seeds contained in the pips, either by dropping them or by excreting them elsewhere. This helps the plant to propagate its seeds over greater distances, thereby increasing its chances of survival and reproduction. Additionally, the sturdy structure of the pips protects the seeds as they pass through the animal’s digestive system.

Stone fruits have evolved similarly, but with a different strategy. The hard central stone protects the single seed inside the fruit. As with pips, the flesh of stone fruits is often sweet and attracts animals, who eat the fruit and disperse the seeds. However, in the case of stone fruits, the seed is generally quite large and protected by a hard stone, which may require larger or different animals for its dispersal. This feature may also prevent the seed from being damaged if the animal attempts to eat it.

Birds disperse many stone fruits, including cherries

Fruit with pips or stones: which is which?

Examples of seed-bearing fruits

Apples and pears are the best-known representatives of this group. But there are also nashi pears, quinces, medlars (Mespilus germanica), the grape, the melon, the watermelon or even citrus fruits (lemons, grapefruits, mandarin, orange, yuzu…). Let’s not forget guava, passion fruit and even the tomato or the chilli pepper (yes, yes, they are fruits!).

Quince, passion fruit, tomato, melon, pear: these are all seed-bearing fruits

Examples of stone fruits

Cherries, apricots, plums, mirabelles and peaches illustrate this category perfectly. But we will also mention pluots, nectarines, mango, the jujube, the lychee and of course the olive. Within stone fruits, the drupes, you will also find most of the nuts: almond, walnut, hazelnut…

Among stone fruits: cherries, walnuts, olives, mangoes and plums

Tricky questions to help you shine in social situations.

Attention, here are a few tricky questions:

• Is a date a stone fruit? Answer: no, because what is called the stone is merely the sclerified seed, but without a coat. A date is therefore a berry with a single pip.
• Raspberry? It’s a berry, right? Answer: still no, a raspberry (or blackberry, the fruit of the bramble) is an aggregate of drupelets (polydrups). Each drupelet is formed as a drupe, i.e. there is a tiny stone surrounded by flesh. We eat these tiny stones without really noticing. Except when these little grains get stuck between our teeth…
• But then, clementines, mandarins, lemons… Are these berries? Answer: absolutely, citrus fruits produce hesperidium-type berries, the endocarp being split into locules.
• And nutshell fruits in all this? Berry, drupe or… ? Answer: the majority of nutshell fruits are drupes. For example, a simple walnut (coming from a tree of the genus Juglans) is a drupe. There is a green fleshy part (mesocarp) surrounding the stone (the walnut). We crack this stone, the walnut, then eat the seed, the kernel.
• Coconut, then? Answer: oh, a very good example! It is a drupe composed of an outer shell (green-yellow), a fibrous mesocarp and finally the “nut”, the lignified endocarp that we must break to reach the “almond”, the white edible part.
• Figs and the strawberries : seed fruits or stone fruits? Answer: neither! Both are “false fruits”, the true fruits being the achenes, i.e. the small grains inside the fig or around the edge of the flesh of the strawberries.

You thought that defining and classifying “seed fruits” and “stone fruits” would have been easy, wouldn’t you? It isn’t that simple, you’ll agree.

Some fruits can be confusing at times…

Fruit Trees and Humankind

It is difficult to generalise about the differences in cultivation, harvests and consumption for the two types of fruit trees. Nevertheless, a few facts can still be stated, which will undoubtedly need to be nuanced.

Historically, pome fruits such as apples and pears have been more closely associated with temperate regions of Europe and Asia, where they have been cultivated for millennia. Their ability to be preserved for a relatively long period, even without refrigeration, made pome fruits a valuable dietary resource during the winter months in the colder climates. Moreover, the ease with which these fruits can be transformed into juice, into cider, into compotes, into pies, has enriched the diet and culinary traditions of many cultures. Agriculturally, the cultivation of pome fruits has encouraged the development of grafting and pruning techniques, thereby influencing gardening and arboriculture practices.

On the other hand, stone fruits, such as cherries, apricots and peaches, originating from warmer regions, have had a different influence. Their need for milder climates has limited their cultivation to specific regions, which has led to regional specialisations and a strong cultural identity linked to these fruits. For example, the peach holds great importance in Chinese culture, symbolising immortality and youth. In cooking, stone fruits have been valued for their sweet flavour and juicy texture, playing a key role in the creation of desserts and sweet-savoury dishes. Agronomically, the cultivation of stone fruits has driven innovations in irrigation management and protection against spring frosts. In terms of economy and trade, these fruits were often regarded as more delicate and luxurious, influencing local and international markets.

Provence has drawn on locally grown fruits to create a fine tradition with its 13 Christmas desserts