Holiday fun - a quiz on fruits and veges

[David Hare-Scott]

I made this up for my own amusement and to annoy my family over Christmas dinner so thought I might share. One or two questions are in nearly every trivia list to do with fruits and vegetables. One or two are quite arcane. If you know six or more you are probably an experienced gardener. If you know them all without peeking at a reference you probably have a garden a bit like mine and read the same books. Enjoy.

(1) Most fruits and vegetables shed their seeds from fruits or pods before the seed germinates and the seed then germinates in or on the ground. Name one that has seeds that regularly germinate inside the fruit.

(2) Which common fruit has its seeds on the outside?

(3) Which two common vegetables that are grown for eating different parts of the plant are the same species?

(4) Name three common edible plants, whose edible part is not a fruit, that are usually grown as perennials.

(5) Since potatoes are grown from seed potatoes (tubers) which are the same as the parent how is it possible to breed new varieties of potato?

(6) Which member of the citrus family has fruit that are often enjoyed whole, that is skin and all?

(7) There are two vegetables that have a name in common but are completely different. What are they and which part of the plant is consumed in each case?

(8) Bananas do not grow on trees. Explain.

(9) The chances are that you will never see the fruit of the medlar tree in your supermarket because it has not been developed as a commercial crop like its relatives the apple and pear. Why?

(10) The rosella can be made into an unusual vibrant purple cordial or jam. What part of the plant is so used?

David

[gunner]

I will take #10 for 300, Alex,... that would be the flower aka, Hibiscus rosa sabdariffa.

[gunner]

Correction: what is the flower Hibiscus rosa sabdariffa.

[Suzanne D.]

I'll give it a go, before reading anyone else's responses.

I can't wait to see the answers on this because I have no idea, and this sounds intriguing. Watch it end up being something really obvious that everyone else knows.

Strawberry.

Carrot and dill? I know they are related, but I don't know if they are the same species. Or cabbage and broccoli?

Artichoke, asparagus, horseradish.

Kumquats.

Radish and horseradish? The root is eaten in both cases.

Bananas are herbs.

Because it has to ferment before it is eaten, and this would be hard to gauge commercially?

The petals?

Good questions. I look forward to learning how well I did on the quiz!

--S.

[David Hare-Scott]

These are the answers that I know. In some cases there are probably more examples than I have given that would be correct.

Choko (alligator pear, chayote, Sechium edule), coconut.

Everyone knows this one: strawberry

The may be more but I had in mind beet (beetroot, sugarbeet) and Swiss chard (chard, silverbeet) which are both Beta vulgaris, they are generally grown for the root and the leaf respectively but obviously you can eat both parts of both. An interesting example of cultivars derived by selective breeding.

Rhubarb, asparagus, globe artichoke. If you want to include herbs and spices, horseradish and many others.

A bit of a trick question - sorry. New varieties are bred by cross pollination and selection from plants grown from seed. Just because the flowers and seeds are insignificant and they are usually grown from tubers doesn't mean they have to be.

Kumquat or cumquat. Although I have a horse that eats oranges whole.

Globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus) a thistle whose the immature flower buds are eaten and Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) a sunflower where you eat the tuber.

The bananas plant is a herbaceous flowering plant whose stem is rolled leaves. It does not have any woody tissue like a tree and botanically it is not a tree.

The fruit must be bletted before it is eaten which means ripened to the point of softness. When ripened like this the flesh appears brown and pulpy which is usually associated with rotten or very overripe fruit. It is a matter of definition whether it is rotten or just looks like it. The texture is unattractive and they are not a great joy to eat raw. However, they make excellent brilliant orange-red jelly which smells like a spiced apple. Given the emphasis on appearance in supermarket fruits I cannot see medlars ever making it there.

The calyx of the flowers.

David