More often called “stone fruits”, these are fruits that have a fleshy outer part that surrounds a single shell (the pit, or putamen) that comprises the endocarp. This shell contains the seed of the fruit. For those more interested in technical terms, the fleshy outer part is known as the mesocarp. Common examples of drupes include, peaches, cherries, plums, olives, apricots.
There have been studies to indicate that drupes are rich in antioxidants. They also appear to be a significant source of fiber. Do not attempt to eat the inside of the pit as many pits contain a chemical called amygdalin; naturally occurring, it is a cyanogenic glycoside, meaning that consumption of it could cause the release of a cyanide anion into the body, potentially leading to cyanide. However, due to the sheer variety of drupes, it is difficult to make broad statements about properties of drupes. Truth be told, there are some difficulties in determining what fruits are drupes versus what fruits are berries. For example, blackberries are drupes that are also aggregate fruits, comprised of smaller drupelets.
All of this being said, there are three broad categorizations of drupes. The first category is “Freestone drupes”, the drupe that probably came to mind with the definition provided, i.e. a drupe where the pit is “easily” removable. The second category is a clingstone drupe, where the flesh of the fruit “clings” to the pit. Lastly, there is the tryma category, in which nuts grow within a hard, outer shell. As implied by the way this was stated, the last category is more difficult to categorize. As also implied, fruits within this category are commonly thought of as nuts; however, these fruits are are not, botanically speaking, nuts.
It is difficult to determine what would constitute the first drupe. However, drupes probably evolved in order to insure that it was easier for seeds to be distributed by animals upon consumption or upon being discarded. Additionally, the pit acts as a barrier to potential diseases as well.
List of Drupes (not a complete list):
- Apricots
- Cherries
- Blackberries
- Coconuts
- Plums
- Olives
- Walnuts
- Peaches
- Pecans
- Almonds
- Nectarines
- Hickory nuts