Fruits have seeds or pits that help make new plants. While “seed” and “pit” might sound the same, they’re different. Knowing these differences can help us learn about how fruits work, how plants grow, and can even help us with cooking and gardening.
Table of Contents
What Are Fruit Seeds?
A fruit seed is a small part of a plant inside the fruit that can become a new plant someday. It comes from the flower’s ovary and is wrapped in the soft part of the fruit. When the fruit is ready to eat, the seeds are also ready and strong to keep the little plant inside safe.
Seeds can look different on the outside, but on the inside, they are pretty much the same. The main parts of a seed are:
- Embryo – A tiny, sleeping plant that will start to grow when the time is right.
- Cotyledons – These are the seed’s first leaves and give food to the little plant when it starts growing.
- Endosperm – Food for the embryo like starch and protein so it can grow even before it can make its own food.
- Seed coat – A tough cover that keeps the embryo safe and helps it get what it needs, like air and water, at the right time.
Even though seeds come from the ovary and the fruit comes from around the ovary, we usually call the whole thing the “seed”.
What Is a Fruit Pit?
A pit is the hard part you find in some fruits like peaches, cherries, and olives. It has a few layers, with the tough endocarp around the seed. The juice of the fruit is called mesocarp, and the skin on the outside is the exocarp.
The pit isn’t the part that makes new plants, but it is there to keep the seed inside safe. Here’s how pits are different from seeds:
- A pit is part of the whole fruit, but seeds can be by themselves.
- Pits are made of different layers. Seeds are simpler.
- The pit’s job is to protect the seed, which is the part that can start a new plant.
- Seeds and pits can look and feel very different in the same fruit.
The pit acts like a strong box to keep the seed safe until it’s ready to grow.
Seeds and Pits and Growing Plants
Seeds have a very special job: to grow into new plants when they land in the right place. The pit is like a bodyguard; it doesn’t start new plants but helps keep the seed safe.
Even though pits don’t grow plants, they work with the seeds to make sure they stay undamaged and ready to grow someday.
Eating Seeds and Pits
Seeds and pits aren’t the same when it comes to eating them either. Seeds can be really good for you because they have things like protein, fats, fiber, and vitamins. And most of the time, seeds taste alright and are easy to eat.
But pits are not for eating. They’re too hard and don’t have things we need for our bodies. Also, some pits have bad stuff in them that can make you sick, like amygdalin, which can turn into poison in your body. Stone fruit pits can be dangerous to eat because you could choke on them.
However, once you take the seed out of the pit and maybe take off the shell, you can usually eat it. Foods like buckwheat, pistachios, mangoes, and dates have seeds like this.
The pit keeps the seed’s good parts safe until the right time.
Why It Matters
Knowing the difference between seeds and pits can be very important for different things:
- When you’re cooking, remember that pits need to be taken out, but seeds can add taste and a nice crunch.
- If you want to grow plants, you need the seed because it’s the part that can grow.
- Don’t try to chew pits because it’s not safe, and it might be bad for your health. Seeds are usually safer to eat.
- Pits keep seeds safer during moving or storing, so fruits with pits might last longer.
- The right word to use for the hard part around the seed is “pit”.
Understanding these differences can lead to better and safer ways of handling, eating, or growing seeds and pits from different kinds of fruits. They each have their own job in making sure plants can keep growing round the world.
Key Points to Remember
- Seeds are the tiny parts that grow into new plants. Pits protect the seeds inside.
- Seeds are simple and come from the ovary. Pits are more complex and are not part of the ovary itself.
- Seeds are responsible for growing new plants. Pits just keep the seeds safe.
- Seeds can be tasty and are good for you. Pits are usually not edible and can be harmful.
