Infruitescence

Infruitescence or Infructescence, a botanical term bearing the same relation to fruit (q.v.) as inflorescence (q.v.) does to flower. It is especially applied to structures in which the fruits produced by several flowers (generally a whole inflorescence) are closely united, often together with peduncular or other structures which are at all events not gynaecial. In the mulberry tree (q.v.) the perianth-leaves become fleshy, enclose the small dry capsule, and, touching those of the other flowers, a whole raceme forms one berry-like infruitescence. In the fig (q.v.) we have a hollow urn-sbaped capitulum (q.v.) with a fleshy peduncle, which becomes sweet and ripens like a fruit and encloses numerous florets succeeded by round capsules, the "pips." The pine-apple is mainly a fleshy branch surmounted by a tuft of leaves, and having the dried-up perianth-leaves of numerous spirally arranged flowers on its outer surface. These are among the most striking examples.