A false fruit, in botanical terms, is a fruit that develops with tissue other than the ovary contributing to the edible portions. In contrast to true fruits, which arise solely from the ovary after fertilization, false fruits include additional floral parts such as the receptacle, thalamus, calyx, or other neighboring tissues that enlarge to form the edible structure. Key points

• Origin: false fruits involve non-ovary floral tissues; true fruits come only from the fertilized ovary.
• Examples commonly cited as false (accessory) fruits: strawberry (receptacle constitutes much of the edible portion), apple and pear (develop partly from the thalamus), pineapple (inflorescence tissue), cashew apple (peduncle/receptacle involvement). Note that some fruits like banana or grape can be produced parthenocarpically and may be discussed in different contexts, but the core distinction for false fruits is the involvement of non-ovarian tissues in forming the edible part.

• Terminology: the term “false fruit” is often used interchangeably with “accessory fruit” or “pseudocarp” in modern contexts, though many texts favor “accessory fruit” to emphasize the involvement of non-ovarian tissue.

If you’d like, I can tailor this to a specific example (e.g., explain why a strawberry is considered an accessory fruit) or provide diagrams or further readings.