Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →

How to Tell What Fruit I Have on My Tree

...
Apple-tree image by zalisa from Fotolia.com

Identifying fruit when it's on the tree can be done with four out of your five, informed senses of touch, smell, sight, and taste. Fruits may not look exactly like they do in the supermarket when they're hanging on the tree, but it can be done. Most tree fruits can be divided into three categories: pome fruits, stone fruits and citrus fruits. Learn the characteristics of these three types and you'll be well on the way to identifying the fruit on your trees.

...
orange tree image by Svetlana Tikhonova from Fotolia.com

Keep an eye on the fruit as it develops. Most will start out small and green, changing color as they grow. For example, lemons and grapefruit will turn yellow, while lime and avocados remain green. Crabapples will stay small, while other varieties of apple become large and red, green or yellow.

  • Identifying fruit when it's on the tree can be done with four out of your five, informed senses of touch, smell, sight, and taste.
  • Crabapples will stay small, while other varieties of apple become large and red, green or yellow.
...
peach image by Andrzej Wlodarczyk from Fotolia.com

Feel the skin of the fruit. Apples, plums, tangerines and pears have thin skins that can be nicked with a fingernail. Peaches and apricots tend to feel fuzzy. Citrus fruits like lemon, lime and grapefruit have thick rinds that ooze oils when pressed.

...
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA image by Danhill from Fotolia.com

Cut the fruit through its middle with a sharp knife. Stone fruits like avocado, plum, cherry and peach have a single seed, or pit, at their center. Citrus fruits like lemon, orange and lime have sections that can be peeled apart. Each section has seeds in the middle. Pome fruits like apples and pears have seeds in a core at the center, surrounded by flesh..

  • Feel the skin of the fruit.
  • Apples, plums, tangerines and pears have thin skins that can be nicked with a fingernail.
...
Boy eating an apple image by marlot from Fotolia.com

Taste and smell the fruit. Citrus has a tangy, acid or sour taste and smell. Pome fruits are smooth-textured, though they can be sour or sweet. Stone fruits are sweet and juicy, with the possible exception of sour cherries, which can be quite tart.

...
BOOKS image by Nadya R. from Fotolia.com

Determine the exact variety of fruit by matching the fruit's characteristics to descriptions in a field guide for fruit identification. Apples for example, come in so many different varieties that you may need a book to help determine whether it's a Jonagold, Granny Smith, McIntosh or Red Delicious.

Related Articles

How to Identify Avocado Trees
How to Identify Avocado Trees
The Identification of the Leaves of Fruit Trees
The Identification of the Leaves of Fruit Trees
How Do You Tell the Difference Between a Lemon and a Lime Tree?
How Do You Tell the Difference Between a Lemon and...
How to Identify a Persimmon Tree
How to Identify a Persimmon Tree
Avocado Tree Classification
Avocado Tree Classification
What Does a Quince Tree Look Like?
What Does a Quince Tree Look Like?
Lemon Leaf Identification
Lemon Leaf Identification
How to Identify Peach Tree Varieties
How to Identify Peach Tree Varieties
When Do You Harvest Ruby Red Grapefruit?
When Do You Harvest Ruby Red Grapefruit?
Evergreen Fruit Trees
Evergreen Fruit Trees
Florida Fruit Leaf Identification
Florida Fruit Leaf Identification
How to Identify Fruit Trees by Leaf
How to Identify Fruit Trees by Leaf
How to Identify Fruit Trees by Leaves
How to Identify Fruit Trees by Leaves
When Are Gala Apples Ripe?
When Are Gala Apples Ripe?
How to Identify an Apricot Tree
How to Identify an Apricot Tree
Garden Guides
×