Pyrena

Diagram of a typical drupe, in this case a peach, illustrating the layers of both the fruit and the seed; the pyrene is the hardened endocarp which encloses the seed
This article is about fruitstones. For the organelle within the chloroplast of some algae and hornworts, see pyrenoid. For other uses of "pyrene", see Pyrene (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Pirene.

A pyrena or pyrene (commonly called a "pit" or "stone") is the fruitstone within a drupe or drupelet produced by the ossification of the endocarp or lining of the fruit.[1] It consists of a hard endocarp tissue surrounding one or more seeds (also called the "kernel").[2][3] The hardened endocarp which constitutes the pyrene provides a protective physical barrier around the seed, shielding it from pathogens and herbivory.[4]

While many drupes are monopyrenous, containing only one pyrene, pome-type fruit with a hard, stony (rather than leathery) endocarp are typically polypyrenous drupes, containing multiple pyrenes.[5]

  1. ^ Eckel (2011).
  2. ^ Beentje & Williamson (2010).
  3. ^ Hickey & King (2001).
  4. ^ Dardick & Callahan (2014).
  5. ^ Potter et al. (2007).