A fruit is the ripe ovary of a flowering plant containing the seed or seeds. Its main functions are to protect the developing seeds and to help scatter them when they are ripe. The majority of fruits are formed only from the carpel or carpels of the flower and are known as true fruits Some fruits include other parts of the flower, especially the receptacle, which are called false fruits or accessory fruits, for example, fig and apple. The fruit begins to develop after fertilization.