Fruit
Edible reproductive structures that develop from a flower’s ovary and enclose seeds. Fruits are typically sweet or tart and eaten raw, but many are cooked, dried, or fermented. Tag plants “fruit” when the harvestable part is a fleshy or dry fruit prized primarily as food.
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Bananas: Chaos out of Order
The banana’s familiar image hides a complex history of human intervention and global migration. This story explores the banana’s botanical roots, challenges cultural stereotypes, and highlights the ongoing confusion in its scientific classification.
fruit, tropical, staple -
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Beyond the Silken Shadow: The Mulberry Tree's Metamorphosis and Homecoming
White mulberry (Morus alba) spread worldwide with sericulture, once symbolizing wealth but later scorned in the U.S. after failed silk schemes. Its North American cousin, red mulberry (Morus rubra)—long valued by Indigenous peoples for food, medicine, wood, and shade—now faces displacement by invasive white mulberry, prompting conservation efforts.
fiber, fruit, ornamental, temperate, tree -
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Cacao: Indigenous Network to Global Commodity
Cacao, the source of chocolate, has a deep history rooted in ancient Mesoamerican cultures where it held spiritual and social significance. This story traces its journey from Indigenous traditions to a global commodity, revealing its role in colonial encounters and cultural exchange.
fruit, beverage, tropical, stimulant -
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Guelder Rose: The Powerful Symbolism of a Plant in Ukraine and Russia
The guelder rose has evolved from a prehistoric European food and fuel plant into a powerful Ukrainian emblem of homeland, resistance, and identity. Its striking morphology underpins centuries of symbolism in songs, art, and literature across Ukraine and Russia, now crystallized in contemporary patriotic culture.
flower, fruit, medicinal, ornamental, shrub, temperate -
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Guelder Rose: The Powerful Symbolism of a Plant in Ukraine and Russia (2 Column Layout)
The guelder rose has evolved from a prehistoric European food and fuel plant into a powerful Ukrainian emblem of homeland, resistance, and identity. Its striking morphology underpins centuries of symbolism in songs, art, and literature across Ukraine and Russia, now crystallized in contemporary patriotic culture.
flower, fruit, medicinal, ornamental, shrub, temperate -
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Passionflower: Christian Curiosity, Exotic Vine, Tropical Fruit
The passionflower (Passiflora), native to the Neotropics, has carried shifting meanings across cultures. Indigenous peoples used it for food and medicine, while Europeans saw symbols of Christ’s Passion in its flowers. By the Victorian era, it was reinterpreted as a sign of exotic beauty and sensuality, spreading into gardens, decorative arts, and poetry. Today, with over 500 species and 400 hybrids, passionflowers are cultivated worldwide for their striking flowers and edible fruits, now celebrated globally as passionfruit.
flower, fruit, medicinal, ornamental, tropical, vine -
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Tamarind: From Shady Refuge to Versatile Foodstuff
The tamarind tree (Tamarindus indica) is both revered and feared—praised for its medicinal and culinary uses, yet shrouded in myth and mystery. This story explores its deep cultural roots, global spread, and symbolic contradictions as a plant of refuge, resilience, and supernatural lore.
fruit, tropical, condiment -
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The Breadfruit's Reinvention: Pacific to Caribbean
Breadfruit, a towering tree with nourishing fruit, has long been a staple across the Pacific, spread by human migration and cultivation. This story explores how its movement reveals patterns of settlement, and how selective breeding over millennia transformed the plant into the seedless, resilient form we know today.
fruit, tropical, staple -
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Watermelon: Stereotypes of Race and Class
Though now beloved for its sweet red flesh, watermelon was historically a pale, sometimes bitter fruit valued for its rind, medicinal uses, and hydration. This story explores how Citrullus lanatus evolved over time and became entangled with cultural stereotypes, revealing its complex global and social history.
fruit, tropical, temperate
