nut (fruit)

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A seed is the mature fertilised ovule of a plant; it consists of three parts, the embryo which will develop into a new plant, stored food for the embryo, and a protective seed coat. Botanically, a nut is a fruit with a woody pericarp developing from a syncarpous gynoecium. Nuts may be contained in an involucre, a cup-shaped structure formed from the flower bracts. The involucre may be scaly, spiny, leafy or tubular, depending on the species of nut.{{cite web |url=https://www2.palomar.edu/users/warmstrong/ecoph8.htm |title=Fruits Called Nuts |author=Armstrong, W.P. |date=15 March 2009 |publisher=Palomar College |access-date=28 June 2021 |archive-date=7 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107151123/https://www2.palomar.edu/users/warmstrong/ecoph8.htm |url-status=live}} Most nuts come from the pistils with inferior ovaries (see flower) and all are indehiscent (not opening at maturity). True nuts are produced, for example, by some plant families of the order Fagales. These include beech (Fagus), chestnut (Castanea), oak (Quercus), stone-oak (Lithocarpus) and tanoak (Notholithocarpus) in the family Fagaceae, as well as hazel, filbert (Corylus) and hornbeam (Carpinus) in the family Betulaceae.

A small nut may be called a "nutlet" (formerly called a nucule,E.g., {{Citation |last=Lindley |first=John |author-link=John Lindley |title=The Vegetable Kingdom |publisher=Bradbury and Evans |date=1846 |location=London |pages=66 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ybw9AAAAYAAJ}}; compare {{cite web |url=https://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/Plant_Families/Verbenaceae.htm |title=Verbenaceae: Plants of the Verbena Family |last=Elpel |first=Thomas J. |date=1997–2021 |website=Wildflowers-and-Weeds.com |access-date=28 April 2024}} The term nucula was applied specifically to hazelnuts (Corylus) in {{cite book |last=Watson |first=P. W. |author-link=Peter William Watson |title=Dendrologia Britannica |publisher=Author |date=1825 |location=London |pages=xlix |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J2Q-AAAAcAAJ}} a term otherwise referring to the oogonium of stoneworts{{cite book |last=Lindley |first=John |author-link=John Lindley |title=An Introduction to the Natural System of Botany |publisher=G & C & H Carvill |date=1831 |location=New York |pages=323 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q2QaAAAAYAAJ}}). In botany, the term "nutlet" can be used to describe a pyrena or pyrene, which is a seed covered by a stony layer, such as the kernel of a drupe.{{cite web |url=https://www.mobot.org/mobot/latindict/keyDetail.aspx?keyWord=drupe |title=A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin s.v. Drupe |last=Eckel |first=P. M. |date=2010–2023 |publisher=Missouri Botanical Garden |access-date=28 April 2024}}

Walnuts and hickories (Juglandaceae) have fruits that are difficult to classify. They are considered to be nuts under some definitions but are also referred to as drupaceous nuts.

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{{See also|Tree nut allergy}}

Nuts used for food are a common source of food allergens.{{cite web |title=Nuts |publisher=Micronutrient Information Center, Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR |date=1 September 2018 |url=https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/food-beverages/nuts |access-date=28 March 2019 |archive-date=28 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328191713/https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/food-beverages/nuts |url-status=live}} Reactions can range from mild symptoms to severe ones, a condition known as anaphylaxis, which can be life-threatening. The reaction is due to the release of histamine by the body in response to an allergen in the nuts, causing skin and other possible reactions.{{cite web |author=Harding, Mary |title=Nut Allergy |url=https://patient.info/allergies-blood-immune/food-allergy-and-intolerance/nut-allergy |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130123419/https://patient.info/allergies-blood-immune/food-allergy-and-intolerance/nut-allergy |archive-date=30 January 2022 |access-date=10 July 2021 |publisher=Patient}} Tree nut allergies are distinct from peanut allergy, as peanuts are legumes, whereas a tree nut is a hard-shelled nut; however, experts suggest that a person with an allergy to peanuts should avoid eating tree nuts, and vice versa.{{cite web |title=Common Food Allergens |url=http://www.foodallergy.org/allergens/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613040928/http://www.foodallergy.org/allergens/index.html |archive-date=13 June 2007 |access-date=24 June 2007 |publisher=Food Allergy Research & Education}}

{{Main|Nut (food)}}

File:Chokoladekage med hasselnødder (4926078547).jpgNuts contain the diverse nutrients that are needed for the growth of a new plant. Composition varies, but they tend to have a low water and carbohydrate content, with high levels of fats, protein, dietary minerals, and vitamins.

File:Très serré.jpg (Tamias striatus) with a hazelnut in its mouth]]Nuts are eaten by humans and wildlife. Because nuts generally have a high oil content, they are a significant energy source. Many seeds are edible by humans and used in cooking, eaten raw, sprouted, or roasted as a snack food, ground to make nut butters, or pressed for oil that is used in cooking and cosmetics.

Nuts are the source of energy and nutrients for the new plant. They contain a relatively large quantity of calories, essential unsaturated and monounsaturated fats including linoleic acid and linolenic acid, vitamins, and essential amino acids.

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• Nut (food)
• List of culinary nuts
• List of edible seeds
• Nutmeg
• Nutcracker
• Achene

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• Albala, Ken (2014) Nuts A Global History. The Edible Series. {{ISBN|978-1-78023-282-9}}

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Category:Fruit morphology