Fruit trees are best identified by the leaves, seeds and fruit. Many find it easiest to identify fruit trees by investigating the fruit, but some trees will bear flowers but no fruit while other only have leaves. Remember, a fruit tree does not have to be a tree, per se. Many fruits grow in small shrubs or on vines. What defines it as such is the nature of its fruit--the ripened ovary or ovaries of seed-bearing plants. And it is important to remember that fruit encompasses many edible things not commonly thought of as fruit. It is a definition that means seed-bearing ovary of a plant, so nuts are included, along with some things usually thought of as vegetables, like tomatoes and cucumbers.
