Mesocarp

Parts of the fruit

Parts of the fruit in a drupa like peach.

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In botany, the mesocarp is the intermediate layer of the pericarp, that is, the part of the fruit located between the endocarp and epicarp.

It is the part of the fruit that is normally consumed and is the result of the transformation of the ovarian wall of the flower, which is why it usually surrounds the endocarp, which in turn surrounds the seeds.

When it comes to fleshy fruits, the mesocarp is usually called pulp, although the technical name for a fleshy mesocarp is sarcocarp. However, not all fleshy fruits have a sarcocarp: hesperidia are a type of modified berry whose mesocarp is a white fiber that surrounds the segments covered with a green, yellow or orange epicarp.

However, in most fruits, such as berries, drupes or pomes, the mesocarp is a thick and succulent layer, so animals will be attracted to this sarcocarp and will choose the juiciest fruits to eat. Inside the animal's stomach, the endocarp protects the seed so that it is not digested and is expelled with the excrement. In this way the animal disseminates the seed of the tree which, after being excreted, will sprout in places more or less distant from the original tree.